with the police under private organizations such as the National Vigilance Association (400). Glasgow had appointed but 3 of the 10 women officers sanctioned by the Town Council. While such societies as the Central Council of the Scottish Cooperative Women's Guild, representing nearly 18,000 members, the Scottish Council for Women's Trades, the Women Citizens, the National Union of Societies for Equal Citizenship were in 1920 thoroughly backing the movement of women police in Scotland, the Joint Central Committee of the Scottish Police Federation considered "the employment of women on police work as unnecessary" (2642). A Scottish Office circular of May 25, 1921, sanctioned pay and allowances on the Report basis for women who are employed on whole time police duties. From this point the movement in Scotland was subjected to the same events which influenced the movement in Great Britain as a whole. As of December 31, 1924, there were 13 women police employed in Scotland-2 in Edinburgh and 11 in Glasgow.15 In the latter city "the women are now sworn in and have the same powers as the male members of the force.16 The chief constable divides the work of women police into four classes as follows: 15 Communication from the Scottish Office, Whitehall, S. W. 1, London. 16 Communicated by the chief constable, Glasgow, October 22, 1924. Class 1-Work which can obviously be more suitably under taken by women than men, i.e. :-sexual offenses against, and all cases involving women and children. Class 2-Work suitable for a woman because of her sex, and because in these particular cases she would be less noticeable than a man. Such work includes: (a) handling cases of delinquent children. (c) patrol of amusement places. (d) inquiry work for Government Departments and Police Departments. (e) investigation of fortune tellers. Class 3-Work usually undertaken by men-but equally suitable for women, and which relieves the men and fills in the spare time of the women. This class includes patrol of the usual public places allotted to women patrols and inquiries regarding lost property, pensions, and aliens. Class 4-Special work such as court attendance, search for missing women and girls, work with children who are abandoned, neglected, infected with venereal diseases, or molested by men. These instructions have been given here because the chief constable has classified these duties rather uniquelyand adds that they are instituted as a six months experiment.12 17 17" Policewomen have proved highly satisfactory necessary part of the Force." March 17, 1925. ... and are a CHAPTER III THE BRITISH DOMINIONS Australia-Canada-Irish Free State-New Zealand-Union of South Africa. AUSTRALIA Official information is available from six cities in Australia. Brisbane-Greensland has "no women police, and it is not proposed to appoint any at the present time." 1 There are 5 cities, however, in Australia which have women police. Placed according to date of appointment they are: Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth and Hobart. Sydney, New South Wales, was the first city in Australia to appoint women police. Two special constables were officially appointed on July 1, 1915. There are now 4. The senior member is paid at the rate of 18/1d. per day and the others received 15/1d. daily. The duties of these special constables as approved by the Chief Secretary are as follows: "1. To keep young children from the streets, and especially at 1 Communication from the Under Secretary, September 23, 1924. 2 Communication from the Under Secretary, September 3, 1924. night. 2. To assist in the prevention of truancy from school. 3. To watch the newspapers and to put detectives on the track of those who are apparently endeavouring to decoy young girls by advertisements or by any other means. 4. To patrol the railway stations and wharves when long distance trains and steamers come in, in order to guard and advise women, girls and children who are strangers and have no friends waiting for them. 5. To patrol congested neighborhoods, and to look after drunken women and to obtain assistance for their neglected children. 6. To keep an eye on houses of prostitution, and on the wine shops and hotels frequented by women of the town, in order to prevent young girls being decoyed and drugged with liquor or entrapped. 7. To protect women and girls in public parks and when leaving work in the evening. 8. To assist, when practicable, in enforcing the regulations concerning pedestrian traffic. In addition to these duties, all inquiries in connection with relief matters, where it is desirable that the inquiry should be made by police in plain clothes, are handled by special women constables. Adelaide, South Wales. In Adelaide women police were appointed in December, 1915. In addition to the women who perform the duties of matron and general searcher, there is one Principal Woman Police Constable, who controls and supervises the work of the 10 women police. The women police do not wear uniform. They receive the same pay and 3 Communication from the Under Secretary, August 26, 1924. allowances as ordinary members of the Police Force. They are entitled to the same pension benefits as men. The women police function in a separate department and are directly responsible to the Commissioner of Police. In his report for the year ended June 30, 1923, the Commissioner says: "The women police carry out a most important and valuable duty to the public of this State. Most of the work is preventive and passes unnoticed by the public, but will have a lasting effect on the lives of those with whom the women police come in contact." He reports in great detail the work accomplished during the year which is similar to that in other cities and concludes: "They have performed their duties conscientiously and with enthusiasm."" MELBOURNE, VICTORIA The first woman police in the State of Victoria was appointed in June, 1916. There are now 4. They were not, as of September, 1924, sworn in nor did they have power of arrest, although the question of conferring on them such authority was under consideration. Their duties are as follows: 1. Patrolling Parks, Beaches, Railway Stations, and 4 Report of the Commissioner of Police, year ended June 30, 1923. Adelaide (R. E. E. Rogers, Government Printer), 1923, South Australia. 5 For further comment see the International Woman Suffrage News, 11 Adam St., Adelphi, London, W. C., England, for July, 1924. • Communication from the Acting Under Secretary, August 22, |