“THE LADY COP”

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 10138, 28 November 1918, Page 7

“THE LADY COP”

NO EXPERIMENT NOW

WHAT THE POLICEWOMAN DOES IN AMERICA.

Undter the title “On the Be? ith a Lady Cop,” the New York ‘Tribune” has an interesting article on the subject of woman police. It says:

The policewoman is not a passing fad; she is not* an experiment, she is not even a war measure: she is simply the logical solution of one of our greatest problems, the proper care and protection of our women, and girls, and she has come to star. She stands before you as a permanent and an extremely important addition to the metropolitan police lorce, and she demands your respect and co-operation, ihere were eight or ten of them sitting round a long table .each busily writing a report of her work of the previous day. Nice, motherly, women they were for the most part, with the exception of two who were in the early twenties and who had the appearance o fsuccessful stenographers. They were all well dressed, in clothes that were decidedly feminine, and there was nothing about them that suggested in any way that they were guardians of the law. There are seventeen of these lady cops, working under the direct supervision of our woman Deputy Commissioner. Mrs Ellen O’rady. They are almost without exception women who have had long experience m the same sorb of work. A goodly number have served as police matrons, and the others have done detective work and investigation of different kinds for the department. The work of these women is confined almost entirely to the protection of women and girls. They believe that an ounce of prevention is worth a year in a reformatory, and so tor the most part they leave the punishment of offences to the men of the force and devote all their energies to the work of protection and prevention. And it-is a really remarkable work that they are doing. Every morning tiie seventeen "women who compose Commissioner O’Grady’s present squad assemble in tho Deputy Commissioner’s office for an hour’s instruction by their chief. Plans are discussed and questions answered, and in this way the Deputy Commissioner keeps ip close touch, with the work which the women axe doing. She knows the details of all the cases on which they are working, and she often interviews the wrongdoers herself. If a girl is reported as in need of employment, the Commissioner finds her a position; if marriage is indicated she arranges for this. She furnishes food and clothing and arranges temporary loans where there s need for such help. Through the courtesy of Commissioner O’Grady I accompanied one of her policewomen one evening last: week as she'made'her rounds of the parka. While these policewomen are the legalproteotors of women and girls of all ages, it is the younger girls, girls from fourteen to sixteen years of age, bo whom they are devoting tho greatest care and attention. It is tho most vital problem for the moment and one which it is extremely difficult to handle, for the heads of these susceptible, young wimen have - beoopio completely - turnedf by the- glhmdiir of khaki and blue serge, and it is extremely difficult to differentiate between the innocent and the harmful frendships of these young girls and thoir soldier and sailor friends, and the situation often requires very tactful handling.

So many hare asked the question. Just what does rbhe policewoman do when she finds one of these girls in the park? - she begins her,peregrinations in the b;arly evening, sauntering' slowly through the more secluded portions- of the park, where a mor timid woman would not dare to go alon, but the policewoman is apparently fearlss. She Is unarmed, and her badge is usually in her handbag; her only weapon is a police whistle. As sh walks along she keeps a sharp lookout on either side. There may be a black mass just ahead that looks like a rock in the distance, but os she' reaches it it mores and separates into two masses silhouetted against the sky, a spldlr and a girl. The policewoman speaks to the girl in ft pleasant tone. “ ‘Good evening, my dear,’ she says. 'lsn’t it late for you to be out here in this lonely spot? I am. a policewoman and it is my business to take care of young girls. I would like to talk to you for a minute,’ The girl is usually very and. the policewoman takes her out of the hearing of the young man and asks her questions if all sorts, her age, her occupation, family conditions, etc., and then she comes to the subject of the young man, and after finding out ah the particulars concerning their acquaintance, if the girl is young she accompanies her to her home and has a conference with her mother. She is always careful not to speak of the girl’s shortcomings before the father pt brothers, for this might cause a amily explosion, From this time on that girl (s watched , over and protected by the policewoman. If she is out of employr mont work is found for her. Her name is given to the Big Sisters of the creed to which she belongs, and they, too, look -after her welfare. It is this personal campaign and the conscientious ollowing up of the cases that are bringing the improvement which is tso (noticeable among -women and I have dealt at some length on this particular branch of the work of the policewoman, hut do not think for a minute that this covers the activities of Commissioner O’Grady’s office. Not by a good deal. Missing girls are found by the women of her stall, men who have insulted their stenographers arc’ trapped by one of the younger women sent ostensibly to seek employment, and are brought to justice, and the Commissioner has completely changed the old-fashioned methods of dealing with illegal practitioners, n feat nf which she is particularly proud. In fact, there nre many 'jobs’ for winch the policewoman is far better nttea than o man, and these women are daily proving that their appointment to the service was not a mistake.

The Countess of Dudley, whoso matrimonial affairs hare interested n number of London folk Terentiy. was won known and much like while in Australia during the Earl’s term as Coremor-Gcncra 1. She visited New Zealand once, for the sake of her health, but preferred to tome incognito, to escape the inevitable entertaining. She is a very beautiful ■woman, dark in colouring, and very bright and amusing. Her daughters—the Ladies Honor and Morvyth Ward are very pretty girls, and have been greatly admired in