Women Police.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20284, 19 April 1934, Page 8

Women Police.

Opinion of Miss Ellen Melville. N° POLICE FORCE is complete without women in its ranks. Constructive character building is one of the greatest factors in the elimination of crime and the promotion of a moral and law-abiding community. These two points were put forward by Miss Ellen Melville, an Auckland lawyer, when she read a paper to the conference of the National Council of Women last night. Miss Melville stated that the solution of the problem demanded, first the active searching out of individuals who were in danger of becoming delinquents and their removal from their harmful surroundings to an environment where they would be in contact w-ith active, constructive, characterbuilding social forces; secondlv, the searching out and classification of those harmful social conditions which contribute to delinquency; and, thirdly, investigation and planning, together with power to enforce remedies for such conditions. An organisation, the personnel of which was composed entirely of men, was obviously unable to cover the whole field of such endeavour in a complex modern society where voung people of both sexes were accorded the widest freedom to meet and mingle in every avenue of life.

A host of voluntary organisations existed religious, philanthropic and welfare, i cmposed mainly of women—to supplv those elements in social service which were lacking in the official body of police. Experience, however, proved that in order to render the most effective service it was necessary that women should be trained and given official status and power as members of the police force. That view was strongly confirmed by war-time experience. To-day the movement had passed the experimental stage, and was firmlv established and growing in Great Britain. Canada. Australia and many other countries. Women police w-ere wanted in New Zealand, said Miss Melville, not to take the place of men. but to serve with them for the common good, with duties having special reference to women and children