WOMEN DETECTIVES

Greymouth Evening Star, 15 August 1932, Page 10

WOMEN DETECTIVES

SCOTLAND YARD PERSONNEL. One of the closest-kept secrets of Scotland Yard’s personnel was revealed recently when it was reported that three women detectives, officially attached to the Criminal Investigation Department, had been transferred to Vine Street Police Station for duty in the West End. For months past between twenty and thirty women have been working in co-operation with the men of the C.I.D.

They are all young and good looking, and have been chosen for theL 1 ability to make friendships. Up to the present they have been attached to the Metropolitan Police headquarters, Scotland Yard. Vine Street is the first outside station to employ women detectives. Their work will cover practically every phase of West End life—from tracing women criminals who -are known to be connected with car bandits to investigating conditions in night clubs : nd dealing -with the “dope” traffic. Lord Trenchaid believes that if- he can stop the activities of' the women confederates he will be dealing a decisive blow at the car bandit. In several instances a woman has proved to be the ‘brains” of wellerganised gangs specialising in raids on fashionable gown shops. Every year dresses and materials valued at hundreds of thousands of pounds are stolen by this type of gang. One of the principal objects in employing women tjetedtives in plain clothes is to track these women criminals to the haunts where they keep appointments with the gangs. For this reason their identities are still being kept a close secret.