November 27: On This Day in World History … briefly
The first women to be employed by the police were matrons. In 1883, the Metropolitan Police recruited its first woman in the role, and within six years had 14.
1914: First women on the beat
The first policewomen in Britain to complete their official training and assume active duty, Ms Mary Allen and Ms EF Harburn, were patrolling the streets of Grantham, Lincolnshire on November 27, 1914.
Reporting to the Provost Marshal of the county, the women were employed with no pay. They were in Grantham in response to a request from military authorities (there was a military camp containing 18 000 soldiers just outside town, only 2 000 fewer than the population of Grantham) and it was felt that the women’s presence on the streets could help to reduce tension.
Wartime demands on manpower were expected to lead to the recruitment of more women to the force.
Although there was little change or recruitment of female officers in the 1920s, more rules and guidelines were published to give them a clearer position. Further guidelines were published by the Home Office in 1931. Dorothy Peto moved to the Metropolitan Police in 1930 and became the first attested superintendent two years later.
In her 14-year tenure in charge of its A4 (Women Police) division, their numbers were increased from under 60 to over 200, and it employed half the policewomen in the United Kingdom. In 1948, women were for the first time permitted to join the Police Federation.
Most notable historic snippets or facts extracted from the book ‘On This Day’ first published in 1992 by Octopus Publishing Group Ltd, London, as well as additional supplementary information extracted from Wikipedia.
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