ARE WOMEN POLICE NEEDED?

Evening Star, Issue 16257, 28 October 1916, Page 2

ARE WOMEN POLICE NEEDED?

[By Mark Cohex.] The week before last a deputation representing the various women’s organisations Jii the Dominion waited on the AttorneyGeneral and pressed for the appointment ot women police. No less than 21 ladies were present, and the spokeswomen comprised Lady Stout, .Mrs W. A. Evans (the delegate of the W.C.T.U.), a member of die .Salvation Army Staff, and the Mavoress of Wellington. The points stressed by Ladv Stout wore that the war legislation of last session, in so far as it affected the, rights of women, was lopsided and inequitable. So far as tlie drink issue, was concerned, the great bulk of the women of the Dominion fa■'.ored the restriction during war conditions cm,ld h t h0l n S du , r T g which intoxicants could bo sold and it. was affirmed that the experience of Great Britain was that diffeientiation between the sexes hail been pioied to bo a mistake. As to the legislation aftecting a certain class of women l WO n d t0 drivc sudl wome » Loin one locality to another, and so make P °f ltlvo da "ger to the communitv. mi e ’ men who were and tiev " m,eS,rnh,C „ as .«>eso women, vet ihov e ,P in^ r disease-carriers; \et they remained untouched. But the M a t’he , e . XCeptlon ' vas taken to the action of the Government in legislating for one of SS th °. peop e r «’gard!ess of the opinions wommi w f b ° dy ° f enfranchised ledcre nf ■ t , rom experience and knowthat tb! conditions ' ve re satisfied pro -o ineff S 'i ° n ° !ast scssion P o ineffective, and not even scratch the cancer on the body politic. The woregard ri sDt to be consulted in logmd to all legislation affecting their nriLad >‘ ir?the TwlT«? n ( ° f the , cvide, me gathered to fh SStat s and Canada in regard to the duties, emoluments, and operations in n that it was distinctly favorable, especially m regard to the -safeguarding of young oshms an f d rls i- and “ check™at n s g thf designs of “ white slave” traders. In existent t},?™ T. c ! luntai T system was Ssc -e fa" ?i It!CS had “Passed pol co and fa '°. rabl - v towards women fim at if I)enn,Cl,t , S . ln the same d >« a - Sr>.*f£ «■» S M™ to '?- ‘t'"’" in ‘!“ POlfc? i ■ i‘ ’ probation officers in ivlnch capacity they should visit dancing hou es, picture shows, and military camps? P^ C , edurc aud familiarise and hnalh 1 a H,^ vs Acting women • and, finally, should (m case of necessity) be, accnitamed to the use of firearms! . ■he -Minister prefaced his reply by read mentaT Sphered by 1 his depart mental officers m regard to the working rica atT W-°r in Britain ’ Arae n in i U? la^ia > but Ido not find in the local newspapers any reference to hon d ?e a t| ;d rCP ° rtS Awarded to the non. gentleman on the working of the letorm the principal cities of the United w ltG and Canada - As it was I who er n ad aP /; roVal - of * hc Hon - Minis! to him t Ul0S ? I . llf l ,anos and submitted !!h a f 16 ° OnC US,O " S r brined as the re! ■ P, . f f f p T ®"?? na } communication with the Oh of of Police in the manv cities I v “ ited of the womenS male police fo?ce?r h ave vcTtriSrn\vhv poun^to h u The 7 * tin V s fm:unl >' , n °thing in it that was-t-hl to me except m the freest and frank toit P r ibl< n m r- and 1 am satisfied to ionvi« Pl,b * ° n WOllld do I,oi a little to com into waverers. oven in high places in tore-to m ' nrms a™ in tho best v d d "l ° the . general community, proidw! always (1) that tho greatest care ft “ makin S selections, and “1 - iat the Commissioner of Police shall not in any way relieve himself of full responsibility for .such appointments. Unfortunately, I, did not "retain a copy of that document, but I can charge mr memory sufficiently to entitle 'me to S b T °': c, T instance tho i -cial yerdict in the cities that I visitedtn C ,L mad °r pl ‘? l *T inquiry was that the uon.cn police hud 'made good," and had come to stay Whether Francisco or Los Angeles, or Chicago, or Xew York, or Montreal, or \ancouver, 8.G.. there was such a consensus of opinion" amoim those who had a right to speak with authority that tho policewoman was a valuable aid to the preservation of law and order, and discharged such duties as were allotted to tier—it yuis generally acknow--cogod that the wisest course is to make a .tunnble beginning, and Jet evolution do Us part m this relation—conscientiously. intelligently, and TAcrFn.LV, that- if our -Minister were obliged to take the same oath as every common juror has to do—viz,, to render a verdict, arcnnlinq to the evidence, presented to him—his conscience won d oblige him to answer : “ The women oi the Dominion have amply proved their case.

to xetuin for a moment to the clocumentaiy evidence gathered By tho Police Department, evidently through the medium of the High Commissioner’s Office It deals almost wholly with the voluntary system, winch is entirely different, from that in vogue m the United Stales and Canada, where tlie policewoman has to undergo special training, and after a probationary period becomes, to all intonts and purposes, a regular member of tlm V‘l-orce.’- She is paid a fixed salary, which is chargeable against the Police Estimates for tho current period—in these countries police administration is & matter of civic control, and not a burden on tlie Consolidated Revenue, as with us—and is subject to tho Civil Service regulations just as the men arc, and in some cities ranks on the superannuation fund. That, bioad distinction must be borne in mind when debating the relative values of tho two systems, which have such markedly divergent features of administration. Here is what the Minister was in a position to tell regarding British methods of dealing with the problem: In the City of London Metropolitan Police I'orce no women arc employed. The National Union of Women Workers’, the A omen Police Service, and the Women Volunteer Police 'aro apparently all voluntary organisations. They are not enrolled under the Police Acts, nor do they possess any statutory powers; they render valuable service in shieldin ,r women in the vicinity of military camps” while a number render service at the Queensferry munition works. Tho National Union of Women Workers furnish patrols, but the work done is purely voluntary. One of my informants states that tho Women _ Police Service is a voluntary corps of women financed by public subscription. Mrs Carden (secretary of the National Union of Women Workers), in her letter to tho Hrth Commissioner, states that the Women Volunteer Police are self-appointed bodies, and have no recognition from the authorities, but work “on their own” entirely. The evidence that I have collected goes to ’show that these voluntary organisations havo performed useful work, and that they have come into existence in consequence of the circumstances of the war.

So much for London. Next as to Glasgow. On September 6, 1915, a female police otiicor was appointed. She does not wear a uniform, and she is not sworn in as a constable. She appears to do work similar to that performed by our polico matrons, in Liverpool there is a ladv inspector, who makes inquiries and takes statements on cases in which women and children aro concerned. She also acts as matron. bho is not sworn in as a member of the Force, and has no power of arrest.

Then I come to Ireland. Sir Nevill Chamberlain (Inspector-General of the Royal Irish Constabulary) states that, in his opinion, there are no positions in the Royal Irish Constabulary which could be satisfactorily filled by the appointment. of women police. In New York there are no women employed as police by the New York Polico Department, but there are 62 matrons attached to the department, who care for female prisoners, lost children, and foundlings. Five matrons are employed doing detective wort,

In Chicago there are 30 policewomen, who are employed in procuring evidence in cases against women and children. In Philadelphia matrons are employed who perform work similar‘to that undertaken by matrons in Xow Zealand. 'They care for women and children. In .San Francisco three women police officers are employed. Their work is mostly in connection with women and girls. As to Australia. In Victoria two women have been recently appointed. They are apparently attached to the criminal investigation side, and are used to detect offences committed by and upon women, girls, and children. In .Sydney there are two women police: there are two in Adelaide, but none in Queensland, and none in Western Australia. _ Considering the importance of the questhere is a want of definiteness about the foregoing statement that is regrettable, and almost warrants the assumption that whoever made the inquiries performed his task perfunctorily, as witness tho employment of “apparently” and “seemingly.” And, if one may judge from the paragraph relating to the United States, 1 would say that most of the information relative thereto was not obtained at first hand, as it should have been. The information in regard to the operation of the reform in tho Australian cities where it has been adopted is meagre in the extreme, and I fancy that if application had been made in the right quarter something more likely to assist tho inquirer after truth might have been forthcoming. When 1 was in Sydney last month I was assured by responsible administrators that the experiment, as far as it had gone, had answered anticipations, and the results were so far satisfactory that the Government of that State contemplate strengthening their women police, in order to cope with the evils so vividly portrayed by _ that eminent surgeon, Sir Herbert Maitland, when giving evidence recently before a Royal Commission on social disorders.

In my next contribution I will deal with tho palliative suggested by the AttornevGeneraJ.