“To the Chief Officer, Women Police,—­I understand that there is some idea of removing the two members of the Women Police now stationed here.  I trust that this is not the case.  The services of the two ladies in question have proved of great value.  They have removed sources of trouble to the troops in a manner that the Military Police could not attempt.  Moreover, I have no doubt whatever that the work of these two ladies in an official capacity is a great safeguard to the moral welfare of young girls in the town.

    (Signed) “F.  HAMMERSLEY, M.G., Commanding 11th Division, Grantham.”

and in November, 1915, they were made official Police by the City Council.  In July, 1916, the Police Miscellaneous Provisions Act was passed, which encouraged the employment of Policewomen by stating that pay of the police “shall be deemed to include the pay of any women who may be employed by a Police Authority,” etc.

Now there are thirty-four Policewomen in our Boroughs, but their position is still anomalous and unsatisfactory, as they do not come under the Police Act for purposes of discipline, pay, pensions, and compensation, but this will come.  Meantime the Women Police Service goes on doing its admirable work of training and providing Volunteer and Semi-official police (supported by women’s funds), in addition to those appointed by local authorities in Boroughs.

These semi-official police women are able to do a great deal, if the Chief Constable is friendly, and, naturally, they are appointed where he is so.  They are often made Probation Officers and are used for children’s and girl’s and women’s cases.  Their work leads more and more to the official appointments and in this work as in so many of our successes, we women have achieved the results by having the voluntary organizations and training ourselves first and proving our fitness.

From my own experience, it is impossible to speak too highly of the kindness and willingness of many Chief Constables to do everything to teach and help the women.

The Women Police Service naturally insists on a high standard of training and this has been of great value.

A big development of women police work has been in the Munition factories where now about 700 women are employed in this capacity in England, Scotland and Wales.

The report of the Women’s Police Service gives the following interesting account.

“In 1916 the Department Explosives Supply of the Ministry of Munitions applied to Sir Edward Henry for a force of Women Police to act as guards for certain of H.M.  Factories.  Sir Edward Henry sent for the two chief officers of the Women Police Service, and informed them that it was his intention to recommend them to the Ministry of Munitions for the supplying of the Women Police required.  They thanked the Commissioner for his expression of trust in their capabilities, and in July an agreement was drawn up between the