moting public morality, employed agents-women and men-to observe and to refer to the police, conditions needing attention.3 5 In June, 1914, a deputation from the National Council of Women and other organizations, called on the Home Secretary urging the appointment of women police. In this same month the Criminal Law Amendment Committee summoned a conference on women police in Caxton Hall, Westminster. When the Criminal Justice Administration Bill was under consideration by Parliament in that same year, Lord Henry Bentick proposed an amendment, providing for the appointment "in every county borough and in every metropolitan borough of the county of London and by order of the Secretary of State in any other local authority, two or more women constables . . . duly sworn, and given such duties as the chief constable in county borough or the Chief Commissioner of Police in London may direct." This amendment was withdrawn and Lord Henry proposed to make his clause permissive instead of obligatory, but the whole amendment was dropped in order not to impede the early passage of the bill which was considered urgent by everyone interested. The Penal Reform League, wishing to keep the 3 See Files of the Vigilance Record. 4 The History of the Official Policewomen (to July, 1924). National Council of Women-Parliament Mansions, Victoria St., Westminster, London, S. W. 1. Price 6d-postage extra. 5 Quarterly Record Penal Reform League, 1914. Vol. VI., No. 3, 68A, Park Hill Road, N. W. London. Price 6d. movement for women police in the open, became particularly active in this field after the withdrawal of Lord Henry's amendment. They desired to prevent the mere perfunctory appointment of women police officers by authorities who were not convinced of their need and yet being obliged by law to appoint them might follow age-old police traditions and select women not necessarily fitted for the work and further would curtail their usefulness by unwise regulations. The League therefore called a meeting on July 13, 1914. In response to their invitation there convened a joint committee composed of representatives from the following societies: The Committee of Social Investigation and Reform, The Criminal Law Amendment Committee, Girls' Friendly Society, Ladies' National Association, Local Government Advancement Committee, National Union of Women Workers, Society for Promoting the Employment of Women, State Children's Association, Women's Industrial Council, Women's Local Government Society, the Young Women's Christian Association, Women's Imperial Health Association, the Women's Cooperative Guild and the Women's Sanitary Inspection Association. At this meeting a resolution was passed urging the appointment of "women police constables with powers equal to those of men constables in all county boroughs and the metropolitan boroughs of the County of London." It was further urged "that the women appointed should be of high reputation, character and experience." Following closely upon this the Criminal Law Amendment Committee and the National Vigilance Association sent delegates to interview the under secretary of state on the subject. Concurrently a group composed of delegates appointed by the Women's Industrial Council had asked the Parks Committee of the London Council and the first commissioner of works to appoint women park keepers -functionaries who are charged with the maintaining of order and decency in public parks and have power of arrest to enforce the laws relating to this subject. For a long time before the War, publications in England concerned with public morals and decency carried, in nearly every edition, discussions of the fact that children, particularly little girls, were too often victims of men of degenerate sex tendencies. Running through all such reports can be traced the firm thread of thought that in order to cope with this social menace which causes such individual catastrophes, women police were needed. Almost coincident with the declaration of war, the movement for women police received a strong impetus and since that time its development has been continuous. REPORTS AND ACTS The important Home Office and Scottish Reports and Circulars, Committee Reports and Legislative Acts affecting the general women police movement in the British Isles were as follows: August, 1916. Police Factories (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, which enabled the pay of wholetime women police in England to become chargeable to the Police Fund. August, 1919. Scottish Office Circular 1485-Pay and clothing for full time women police allowed to rank in claims on Police Grants. Police Act, 1919.6 Constituted the Police Federation and empowered the Secretary of State and the Secretary for Scotland to make regulations as to government, mutual aid, pay, allowances, pensions, clothing expenses, and conditions of service of all public forces within England, Wales and Scotland. Every police authority was ordered to comply with the regulations so made. December, 1919. Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act (Parliamentary) established the legality of women as members of police forces. February 12, 1920. Scottish Office Statement to police authorities in Scotland interpretating the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act. August, 1920. Report of Committee on the Employment of Women on Police Duties. September 7, 1920. Home Office circulated the Report to Police Authorities in England and Wales, with a covering letter which advised that new women police should not be attested and to defer standardization of pay on the basis of the report. March 17, 1921. Home Office Circular recom • Women Police. After the Report. The Women's Leader, August 29, 1924. Dean's Yard, Westminster, S. W. 1, London. Price 1d net. mended to police authorities to standardize the pay of women police on the basis of the Report of August, 1920. May 23, 1921. Scottish Office Circular sanctioned pay and allowances of women employed on full time police duties, in uniform or plain clothes, in the prevention and detection of crime. June, 1921. Police Pension Act made women police pensionable and established their position. February 12, 1922. The Report of the Committee on National Expenditure (Geddes Committee) that "We have considered the question of the employment of Women Patrols-their powers are very limited and their utility from a police point of view is, on the evidence submitted to us, negligible." March 1, 1922. The Home Secretary met the Joint Central Committee of the Police Federation who adopted the recommendation for the removal of all women police. July, 1924. Report of the Departmental Committee on the employment of women police. The intervening actions and reactions can be traced to one or the other of these "high spots" in the development of the movement. WOMEN ORGANIZE FOR POLICE DUTY Early in the War two separate movements for Women Police sprang into being: the Women Police Volunteers from which later developed the Women Police Service, which in 1920 became the Women's |