LOOKBACK
BREAKING BARRIERS
Meet the United Kingdom’s first female police officer, Edith Smith, and read about her legacy which carved the path for inclusive policing
In the history of British policing, few names stand out as pioneering figures who challenged the status quo and laid the groundwork for a more inclusive profession. One such trailblazer is Edith Smith, the first female police constable in the United Kingdom with full powers of arrest. Her story is not just a chapter in policing history but a testament to the enduring fight for gender equality and the importance of inclusive policing. As we celebrated International Women’s Day in March, Edith Smith’s journey served as a reminder of how far we’ve come—and how much further we have to go. Born in 1876, Edith Smith was a midwife before stepping into the world of policing. At a time when policing was considered a man’s job, societal norms dictated that women had little place in the ranks of authority. However, the realities of World War I disrupted these conventions. With many men conscripted to the front lines, women were called upon to fill essential roles, including supporting the wartime policing effort. The establishment of the
Women’s Police Service (WPS) in 1914 marked a significant milestone in British policing history. This organisation, founded by Nina Boyle and Margaret Damer Dawson, sought to introduce women into policing, primarily to deal with issues affecting women and children. Initially, female officers had no official powers, serving
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instead as a moral and social force. However, this changed with Edith Smith.
“The establishment of the
Women’s Police Service (WPS) in 1914 marked a significant milestone in British policing history.”
In 1915, Edith was sworn in as a fully- fledged police constable in Grantham, Lincolnshire. Unlike other women in
the WPS, she was granted full powers of arrest—an unprecedented move that marked a significant step toward gender equality in British law enforcement. Her primary focus was on dealing with crimes related to prostitution, particularly cases involving soldiers, but her impact extended far beyond this narrow remit. She worked extensively
with women and children, addressing domestic violence, child welfare, and public order issues, making her a vital
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