Women and Police Work
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X4001300312 |
| Published date | 01 July 1940 |
| Date | 01 July 1940 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
Women
and Police Work
THE Report of the Departmental Committee on Detective
Work and Procedure has disappointingly little to say on
the question of the employment of women as detectives. One
paragraph only is devoted to this important, not to say con-
troversial, subject, paragraph
109
of chapter IV, vol.
2.
A fairly definite pronouncement might have been ex-
pected in view of the clarity of most of the recommendations,
but
in this case we are left with the following somewhat
un-
satisfactory conclusion. "
...
but
we have not found sufficient
evidence of any special need for the employment of police
women as detective officers, or of their special aptitude for this
work, to justify us in recommending any departure from the
principle which has been consistently followed hitherto,
namely,
that
the employment of women on police work should
be a matter for the discretion of the individual Chief Officers
of Police and Police Authorities."
A close reading of this recommendation suggests that here
is a bitter pill for the advocates of more policewomen, coated
with politely chivalrous language;
but
surely here was lost an
opportunity for an authoritative pronouncement on the
employment of women on police work.
This
vexed question
could perhaps have been more thoroughly examined from a
national point of view instead of allowing it to be maintained
as a subject for continual local skirmishes between police
authorities on the one hand and the combined forces of the
various feminist movements on the other.
It
is unfortunate indeed, although possibly it is unavoid-
able, that the infiltration of women into such a hitherto purely
masculine occupationasthe Police Service shouldhavedeveloped
into a kind of running fight; unfortunate because there is room
for women in the Service if both the men and women can be
made to appreciate the advantages and limitations respectively.
329
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