§ Sir C. CAYZERasked the Home Secretary whether women police are employed in juvenile courts in recording evidence which complainants of their own sex or young people might hesitate to give to men; and what are the functions which the women police generally carry out, drawing a distinction between such functions outside police courts and those inside?
§ Sir W. JOYNSON-HICKSNo, Sir. Women police are not employed in recording the evidence at juvenile courts: this is a matter for the Clerk of the Court. The court duties of women police are restricted to giving evidence in cases in which they are concerned, but whenever a 69W girl appears in a juvenile court in London some other woman—a police matron or temporary matron—is present. The duties of the women police are similar to those of constables generally, but they are employed more especially in dealing with women of immoral character and young girls who appear to be drifting towards an immoral life or are homeless or destitute or in some other way in need of assistance or advice. They are also employed on escort duty and on observation duties in plain clothes, when it is deemed advisable that a woman should be so employed.