TEN POLICEWOMEN IN TRAINING

New Zealand Listener, Volume 5, Issue 106, 4 July 1941, Page 42

TEN POLICEWOMEN IN TRAINING

Some Views On New Zealand’s Latest Social Experiment NO clicking of candid cameras, no civic reception, no Ministerial visit has yet given publicity to New Zealand’s newest social experiment-her Women’s Police Force. A brief item tucked away in corners of the daily papers announced that ten candidates had been selected and were entering upon their year of preliminary training.

E went to interview the Superintendent of Police. As the agitation for a force of Women Police had come largely from the women of New Zealand, we felt that they would be vitally interested in the progress of the experiment. But the superintendent was not communicative. All we could learn was that the ten were housed in specially-constructed barracks in Newtown, Wellington, that they had plenty of hot water, lots of wood and coal, and lessons in ju-jitsu, and that he had every confidence that they would be a credit to the force. At any rate, their physical well-being is being looked after, we reflected. And such is the interest taken in them by the senior members of the force who are entrusted with their training and such a high standard of character and education has been demanded of the successful applicants that it seems unlikely to the casual observer that any of the ten will fail to qualify at the end of the year. The Hairdresser Didn’t Approve UR hairdresser does not approve of women police. "I don’t see what use they’d be," he muttered between snips. "They'll probably make themselves ridiculous. Imagine two women trying to run in a drunk!" We could not imagine it, but neither could we imagine that they would have to deal with any such situation. We decided to talk the matter over with Miss Maud England, who for some years has been vice-president of the National Council of Women, a body which strove for the establishment of the Women’s Police Force. Works Well in Britain "NATURALLY I approve of the establishment of a Women’s Police Force," said Miss England. "You can see how well it has worked in Britain, where the force has grown _ considerably since its inception. Now women police are being found exceptionally valuable in dealing with war-time problems such as the evacuation of children and the care of the homeless. In New Zealand our problems are not so diffi-cult-we have not the same large population as England and therefore our proportion of crime is smaller. But, in spite of this, there is plenty of work waiting for women police in New Zealand-work which has either not been tackled at all up to now or work which is better tackled by women than by men. "The policewoman will, of course, concern herself largely with women and children. The problem of hooliganism has not yet been adequately dealt with. We need women on duty in our parks-not after dark as Commandant Mary Allen seems to think desirable (I do not agree with many of her ideas), but in the day-time, to prevent urchins jumping on flower-beds and bigger boys pushing small girls off swings, and to

intervene in street quarrels and prevent blows by finding out the cause of the dispute, Settling Disputes Out of Court "I consider it shameful that women accused of wrong-doing should have to be interrogated by men. Once our women police have established themselves, I trust they will take over functions of this kind. "In cases of domestic unhappiness women will be invaluable. A woman would, I imagine, hesitate to tell the details of her private life to an ordinary policeman. Were a policewoman established in each district, I think it would be possible for many more domestic disputes to be settled out of Court. "Of course, the policewoman must possess plenty of tact and common sense and have some conception of the whole social fabric of a community. That is why the National Council stressed from the beginning the importance of every candidate having at least a g secondary education and preferably some experience of dealing with people. In Bristol, every policewoman has to take a special course in the University -a course including such subjects as psychology and sociology. The Right Type "One of the candidates, I noticed, was an ex-Kindergarten director. It is that type of person we should try to get. She has had lots of experience with children, and her work has also taken her into the homes of her pupils. She has therefore had opportunities of estimating the influence of the various kinds of home-life. I should like to see the district policewoman occupying much the same position in the community as the district nurse. I should like to see (Continued on next page)

(Continued from previous page) people bringing her their problems with as little self-consciousness as they would bring them to the nurse." Not Uniforms Though we felt that it was rather lowering the tone of the conversation, we had to ask Miss England what she thought about uniforms, "Uniforms? I don’t approve of them," said Miss England. "Then do you think that the policewoman should be indistinguishable from any other business woman?" "No, certainly not. She should wear some distinctive type of dress, a plain blue frock and felt hat or something, but uniform to me suggests something with shining, buttons and badges stuck here and there. She can, if necessary, keep her badge in a pocket." "Then you do not think women in plain clothes will be used in the Detective Force?" "I hope not," said Miss England firmly. "It savours rather of spying. I should hate to see any of our women police engaged in any such activity. I feel that if any of them were used in this way, the people among whom their work lies would cease to trust them ‘and their real work would thus be rendered completely valueless." A Watchful Eye UR next discussion of the question was with Miss A. Kirk, who was’ ‘for

16 years connected with the Society for the Protection of Women and Children and who is.at present a Dominion officer of the W.C.T.U. "The policewoman’s chief work,’ she said, "would be to keep a watchful eye on girls and women, A policeman feels, and rightly, that he cannot interfere with a girl unless she is actually breaking the law, whereas a policewoman could in most cases by a warning word prevent the evil that may come from thoughtlessness." "But wouldn’t her interference be resented?" we asked. "I have dealt with girls all my life," said Miss Kirk, "and I have found very few who don’t respond to an understanding person of their own sex. It is very hard for the average man to speak to a girl. Moreover, it is usually easy for the average girl to hoodwink a man, because his innate chivalry leads him to put the best possible construction on her behaviour. It would be much harder for a woman to ‘put it across’ another woman, Experience in Australia "Women police have been found invaluable in Australia. Where the taking of evidence from children is necessary, women are found to be more suitable. They have done useful work in ;

connection with such problems as drinking in cars. In Sydney women police are on duty. at railway stations to direct girls who have not been met or who are new to the city. Now it’s a case of ‘When in doubt ask a policewoman.’ "But they must be picked women," concluded Miss Kirk. "They need plenty of personality and they must be ‘good mixers.’ Censoriousness would do more harm than good. You need broadminded and human women who regard people as potentially good rather than potentially evil, and who aim is to prevent evil rather than to catch the evildoer."