POLICEWOMEN'S DUTIES

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3163, 15 August 1917, Page 2

POLICEWOMEN'S DUTIES

PROTECTION AND REFORMS. The two policewomen, Mrs. Connor and Miss Beers, have commenced duty in Melbourne, and since their first official appearance as members of 'the Victorian Police Force, they havo been entrusted with many inquiries involving tho welfare of women and children, states tho Melbourne "Argus." They wear no uniform, but under tho lapel of their costume jacket is pinned a metal police badge. They also carry a detective's warrant card, empowering them to extract information from all possible sources, with the object of saving girls from ruin, and of seeing that tho children of dissolute mothers aro cared foT.

They havo been attached to tho plainclothes branch of tho metropolitan police force, under Sergeant Appleby, and the Chief Commissioner of Polico (Mr. A. G. Sainsbury) has directed that their duties should be as' follows*—To lteep young girls and children off tho streets at night; to assist in preventing children from playing truant from school; to watch the newspapers with the object of putting the detectives on tho track of those who are apparently trying to decoy young girls with advertisements for immoral and other illegal purposes; to watch tho railway station and wharves when long-distance trains or steamers arrive, with tTio object of giving advico to women, girls, and children who aro strangers, and who aro not mot by friends; to patrol tho slum areas, and pay attention to drunken -women, and obtain assistance for their neglected children; to watch houses of ill-fame, wino saloons, and hotels that are frequented by women of ill-repute, in order to prevent young girls being entrapped; to protect women and girls in public- parks, nnd -wheu leaving their place of business' in the evening; to assist as far ns practicable in enforcing the pedestrian traffic regulations; to make inquiries from charitable societies. The duties enumerated have been for tho most part, already performed by policemen, but tho two women will, it is thought, be able to act more effectively, because they will cover a -wider field of inquiry than is possible for tho male members of the force.