WOMEN POLICE

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2906, 19 October 1916, Page 6

WOMEN POLICE

SHOULD THEY BE APPOINTED?

DEPUTATION TO THE MINISTER

THE PROPOSAL REJECTED

A deputation representing women's societies waited upon tho Hon. A. L. Herdman yesterday to urgo him to appoint women police in New Zealand. The deputation was introduced by tho Mayoress (Mrs. Luke). ~ Lady Stout, tho first speaker, said •that, on a previous occasion tho Minis;ter had promised to make inquiries regarding the work of women polico in other countries. Sho thought that now he had information about the work dono by policewomen in American and Canadian cities, in Australia, and in England. In Now Zealand women police might bo employed patrolling public parks and gardens, wliere offences against women and children wero most often perpetrated, and they should also be at hand in the polico courts to look after women and children concerned in cases there, and especially when evidence was being taken from very young children in certaih cases. In the dance and music halls, and at the picture shows women might do good work. They might be useful also for the of common lodginghouses, and of disorderly houses, for which work thiy would be more suitable than men. In England women police rendered valuable scrvice round about the military camps, and they might do similar work here in Now Lady.- Stout suggested that tho Minister Should call for volunteer women for this police duty. To make tho scheme a success tho right women must be obtained. Women selected would require at least • two months' training. They would have to learn ambulance work, they would have to be drilled, they would have to learn jiu-jitsu, and they would have to be trained in shooting. Mrs. Evans, supporting the request made by Lady Stout, urged that tho present was a good time to appoint women police, owing to the fact that sufficient nien wero not available for tho duties ordinarily porformed by men, and the places of the men would havo to be taken by women. Two other speakers endorsed • tho proposal made to the Minister, one speaking on behalf of the Salvation Army, and the other on behalf of tho Housewives' Union. Tho Best Women Police. The Hon. A. L. Herdman, replying, said that it had been a great pleasure to him to hear the deputation, and ho was sure that in the whole Dominion there were not more earnest champions of women police than the ladies who had just spoken. He quite agreed with them that tho • work dono by women sinco the war had been of immense .value to tho Empire. It was impossible to magnify that work too much. Ho also agreed that tho homo influence of women was tho best influence at work in tho community, and'ho ventured to believe that the. best women policemen in the country were tho women who stayed at homo and looked after the training of their sons and daughters. In connection with tho voluntary work done by women in assisting the police, he wished to pay a special tributo to the. ladies of the Salvation Army. It was a well-known fact, recognised by ev.ery police officer, that the womon of tho Salvation Army had done magnificent work in helping the police. < in other Countries. "You will remomber that on a former occasion I promised to ascertain what was being dono in other countries," said Mr. Herdman. "In accordance with my undertaking, I have succeeded in collecting tho following information:—

"(1) In tho City of London Metropolitan Polico Force no women polico aro employed! The National Union of Women Workers, the Women Polico Service, and the Women Volunteer Police are apparently all voluntary organisations. They arc' not enrolled under the Police Acts, nor do they possess any statutory powers. They render valuable service in shielding women in the vicinity of military camps,, and a number render servico at tho Queen's .Ferry Munition Works. The National Union of Women Workers furnishes patrols, but the work dono is. purely voluntary, and one of my informants states that the Women's Police Service is a voluntary corps of women financed by publio subscription. Mrs. Carden, secretary of the, National Union of Women Workers, states in her letter to the. High Commissioner that the Women Police Servico and the Women Volunteer Police 'are self-appointed bodies, and have lio recognition from the authorities, but work on their own entirely.' The evidence that I have collected goes to show that these voluntary organisations have performed useful work, and that they have come into being in consequence of the circumstances of tho war. So much for London.

"(2) Next as to Glasgow. On September 6, 1915, a female police officer was appointed. She does not wear uniform, "and 6he isnofsworn in as a constable. . Sho appears to do work similar to that performed by our police matrons.

"(3) In Liverpool there is a lady inspector who makes inquiries and takes statements in cases in which women and children are concerned. She also acts .as matron.. She. is not sworn in as a member of the force, and lias no power of arrest. '

"(4) Then I como to Ireland. Sir Nevill Chamberlain, Inspector-General of the Royal Irish Constabulary, states that in his opinion there are no positions in tho Royal Irish Constabulary which could be satisfactorily filled by the appointment of women police.

"(5) In Victoria two women have been appointed recently. They are apt) parontly attached to the Criminal Investigation side, and are used to detect offencos committed by or upon women, girls, and children. "(6) In Sydney there are two women police; there aro two in Adelaide, but none in Queensland and none in Western Australia.

"In New York there aro no women employed as police by the New York Police Department, but there aro G2 matrons attached to tho Department who care for female prisoiiers, lost children, and foundlings. Pivo matrons are employed doing detective work.

"(7) In Chicago there aro 30 policewomen. They are employed in procuring evidence in crimes against women and children.

"(8) In Philadelphia matrons are employed who perform work' similar to that undertaken by matrons in New Zealand. They care for women and children.

"(9) In San Francisco thr«e women police officers aro employed. Their work is mostly in connection .with women and girls.

"This gives you tho general result of my inquiries. In Now Zealand we employ nino matrons. Their duty is to care for women and children who may find their way into the bauds of tho police—nnd very excellent- work thev do. The voluntary organisations in England exist only because of tho war. A vast number of women rvro employed in munition factories, and hundreds of thousands of soldiers jire located in camps. The conditions in New Zealand aro altogether dissimilar." What Is Asked For? Continuing, Mr. Herdman said ho I would liko to understand cxactly what

it was that lie was asked to do. Did they wish him to incorporate in tho Polico Force of Now Zealand a numbor of untested, untrained, inexperienced women, to be armed with all tho great powers of tho police—powers of arrest and of search? Did thoy wish him to appoint women who should havo tho nght to cateohiso any girl walking alono, or to follow any young man and young woman who might be walking together in a public park, probably on no evil purposo? If tins was tho proposal ho could not for a moment entertain it. That would bo the height of folly. If thoy wished him to increase the sphere of usefulness of women already employed in tho police service as matrons, then ha was prepared to recommend tho Government to increase the number of matrons. It was absolutely necessary that persons entrusted with police duties should be men and women of tact, trained, and thoroughly tested before being allowed to perform this duty. It must be recognised that tho liberty of the subject was a very important matter, and if thero were untrained men or women clothed with polico powers there would bo trouble. Ho was informed by a polico officor of high rank that it took two years to train a policeman, and that the most difficult thing to toach him was to hold his tongue. (Laughter.) How long would it take to train women? Voices: "Half that time." "Three months." Mr. Herdman said he thought it would tako longer than threo months. A Point of Importance. . The principal part of the duty of a policeman was to detect crime and arrest offenders, and to prevent breaches of the criminal law. If they asked him to pass legislation to extend those functions, that must bo a matter for serious consideration, iind ho could not give any undertaking that it would bo done.

Mrs. M'Vicar: Wo don't want to have' anything to do with tho criminal classes.

• Mr. Herdman: But they are tho only classes with whom the police havo to deal!

Mrs. M'Vicar said that in her opinion wrong would be prevented by the more fact that women police would be seen moving about. A iroman could prevent a young girl from getting into mischief by speaking to her and telluig her to away home."

Mr. Hcrdnian: Very well; supposing any woman were to accost a daughter of mine and tell her to get away home?

Mrs. M'Vicar: Oil, no. Not at all

Mr. Herdman: I'm not going to havo that sort of thing. Oh, no. We went on to say that bo proposed to ask the Government to empower him to appoint more matrons in tho Force. These matrons would take up their situations in tho big polico stations and would thero learn their duties. Ho thought that after thoy had become familiar with polico work it might be possible to extend their sphere of usefulness.

Not a Wicked Country. He was informed by tho police that offences against women and children were comparatively few in New Zealand. Fortunately in this country men did respect women. There was not the same amount of evil in this! country as in other countries, less hero than oven in Australia. Ho yielded to no man in tho country-in his desiro to sco that women throughout Now Zoaland wero treated with the greatest possible courtesy and consideration, and i that the children of tho community are protected from evil. And he ventured to say that every poJTce officer in tho country,'if he heard of an offenco against a woman or a child, would track tho offender down with tho utmost energy. But the questions raised must not bo decided hastily. They, required very careful consideration.

Mrs. Luke asked to bo allowed to mention one point. When women were dragged into unpleasant cases as witnesses they were often much distressed by having to deal only with men. They should bo allowed tu'mako thoir statements to women. So serious was tho stato of mind of some of tho women that sho had heard of a woman declaring that slie would never again report any case of wrongdoing. Mr.Herdman said ho would deny absolirtely "that the polico were ever discourteous to women ivho came to see them.. Ho agreed, however, that it might bo possible to extend the functions of matrons to enahlo them to come 1 into contact with women and children.

Mrs. Luke: That is all that is needed. Mr. Herdman repeated that ho thought it would bo the_ height of folly to allow a lot of untrained women to exercise police powers' at large. These matrons would probably have to look after girls and women in Court, and perhaps to tako ovidence from women and children involved as witnesses in eases of a. certain type.

The War Regulations. It had been said that the Government should have consulted women's societies before passing tho War Regulations affecting women. Now, those regulations dealt only with two things ihey prohibited women from entorinc hotel bars /after 6 p.m., and they gave the pokco power to deal with one woman brothels. Ho could not agree that there was any necessity to consult women about either of these matters. It was very urgently necessary that women' of a certain typo should be kept out of hotels in tho evenings, and this was the purpose of tho regulation. As to the other quesi'i i . could not seo how women could object to tho extermination of those one-woman houses with which up till now the police had not had power to deal.

An Attack on. the Police. Mr. Hordman mado reference to an attack made oil tho police by Lady Stout. In a newspaper report which he had before him, Lady Stout was credited with saying that a German iz the 1 once Forco in Wellington hac held up the mother of a soldior on a railway station, saying, "I'm tired ot mothers of dead soldiers." No more cruel or unjust thing could have been said about any police officer at this time than that ho was a German. Ho had found that there was no German in the Polico Force. Ho had found that tho only authority Lady Stout had for making the statement was an anonymous communication sho received from Duncdin.

Lady Stout: Wo aro not discussing the anti-German question lion-. 1 said nothing about that. Mr. Herdman: In that letter—a copy of which 1 have here—there is no statement that any police officer is a German, but tho question is asked whether a certain police officer is a German. [ find that the police officer is not a German. The statement was incorrect, and I think regret should he expressed for its having been mado. It is my duty to protect the police, and while I liavo tho highest regard for Lady Stout, it is my duty to clear this matter up." I Mrs. Luko said that slio belioved I Mr. Herdman's proposal would go a long way towards tho solution of existing difficulties. Lady Stout said a few words as tho deputation was retiring. She protested against Mr. Herdman raising a matter which had nothing to do with tho subject on which the deputation had I addressed him.

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