PARLIAMENT Members Discuss Role Of Women In Police Force

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27443, 1 September 1954, Page 12

PARLIAMENT Members Discuss Role Of Women In Police Force

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON. August 31. There was dissatisfaction in the New Zealand Police Force before the present Government came into power, said the Minister in charge of Police (Mr W. H. Fortune) in the House of Representatives today, when the vote on the estimates for the Police Department was under consideration. Mr Fortune said it was not correct that there was “widespread dissatisfaction,” as Opposition members alleged. Mr M. Moohan (Opposition, Petone). opening the discussion on the vote, said it was the Government’s own actions that had caused the present dissatisfaction throughout the Police Force. There was discontent, too, among the women members of the force, who were not being given the job to do for which they had been trained.

One policewoman who had served in Britain before coming to New Zealand had been on beat duty four times in five months. Others were making tea, typing, and answering telephones, instead of being on duty outside their stations.

Mr Moohan said he considered women police could make a greater contribution in their dealings with cases involving women and children than could male constables. Miss M. B. Howard ' Opposition, Sydenham) agreed with Mr Moohan that women police were not being used for the jobs they had been trained

to do. Married womert, she said, should be allowed to apply for jobs in the Police Force. She alleged there was “deep dissatisfaction” among the women police, and there were isolated cases where there was no co-operation at all between women police and male officers. It was more necessary than ever before, in view of the events that were coming to light, to have-women police on duty and, indeed, to augment the number in the force, said Miss Howard. “Women police can do more to wipe out juvenile delinquency than anyone else, and more than any committee that might be set up,” she said. Mr Fortune said it was not correct to say there was prejudice against women in the Police Force. He agreed that their jobs should not be clerical, and there was no question whatever that they should be on duty outside, where tneir presence would undoubtedly be felt. Some women police were still inside the stations engaged on clerical work, and others were not enthusiastic about outside work. The Minister said that one woman had sat the sergeants’ examination, but generally there was no great desire at present to sit examinations for promotion. There was no objection to married women police, but difficulties immediately arose when husband and wife became subject to transfer.