WOMEN POLICE

Hokitika Guardian, 25 January 1930, Page 3

WOMEN POLICE

HOME SECRETARY’S SYMPATHY. SOLID BASIS OF EXPERIENCE. LONDON, December 5. So strongly is detective work appealing to the modern woman that a “trainer of lady detectives,” Mr C. H. Kersey, late of Scotland Yard has had I'Ai pupils through his hands-this year. According to an article in the “Policeman’s Review,” they come from all parts of the country and from all ranks of society, and are trained for general detective work or for posts m shops. For general detective work a six months’ training is necessary, but for a post as detective rn a shop ten 01 twelve months will fit a woman for her work. Theory is followed by practical study i.ll courts and stores. Instruction is given in jiu-jitsu, and the art of selfdefence. It is claimed that women have an advantage over men in being able to disguise themselves with greater ease, an important point in the detection of shop thieves, i ■ On December 2nd the Home Secretary (the Rt. Hon. R. J. dynes) received a deputation, organised by the National Union of Societies for Equal Citizenship and the National Council of Women of Great Britain, and expressed his sympathy with the demand of wdkien’s organisation (representative of sixteen bodies) for the appointment of more women, police. The Secretary for Scotland at the Home Office was with the Home Secretary.

DEPUTATION’S DEMANDS

The deputation was introduced by Miss Picton-Turbervill, M.P. In particular the deputation urged:—(l) That the Police,- Acts should be applied universally women; (2) that .regulations shoqld be made clearly defining the duties of policewomen and that regulations standardising the conditions of their recruitment and training should be submitted to the Police Council; (3) that a woman inspector of constabulary should be appointed at the Home Office; (4) that- a woman or women should he appointed oh the Police Council; (5) that in the Metropolitan Police District there should he a considerable increase in the number of policewomen, and that the conditions relating to their employment should be restored to the position which obtained before the Geddes cut in 1921.

SYMPATHETIC RESPONSE.

Mr Clynes said that ho not only sympathised with the views of the women’s organisations on this question, but he hoped to be able to meet at any rate some of their claims. The idea ol' .employing women police was comparatively modern, and the failure to make rapid progress was not due to any lack of sympathy,, but to the desire to gain a solid basis of experience as to the use of policerwomen in actual practice before embarking on any stereotyped organisation.

So far a.s numbers were concerned, the position was that outside the Metropolitan Police district the local police authorities wore responsible, and the question was whether they should be compelled to employ police- 1 women. As Home Secretary he doubted whether he could exercise compulsion in a matter of this kind. The deputation’s claims would receive his full and sympathetic consideration, and he hoped that he might be able to induce local authorities to view the appointment of policewomen more sympathetically. In London, where the Secretary of State was the police authority, a substantial addition to the numbers of policewomen had already been authorised. The deputation had put before him some new aspects of the problem which were worthy of the closest consideration, and he promised that he would give the earliest attention to the matter. So far as he was concerned he would approach the question with an open mind. The Secretary of State for Scotland promised that,'so far as Scotland was concerned, he would carefully examine the whole position in the light of the information which had been given to him.