9 Questioning women
When police forces are historically overwhelmingly male, problems can arise when female members of the public are questioned – either as suspects or as victims. It was a recognition of this possibility which led to the initial appointment of police matrons towards the end of the nineteenth century.
Figure 12: A plea for the appointment of police matrons at police stations (1894) [Description: Image of the front page of a pamphlet entitled ‘A plea for the appointment of Police Matrons at Police stations. The pamphlet has a decorated header image of flowers and leaves and an illuminated first letter ‘M’.] Source: https://archive.org/details/pleaforappointme00balg
The text reads as follows:
A plea for the appointment of Police Matrons at police stations. By Florence Balgarnie, Superintendent of the Department for the Appointment of Police Matrons of the National British Women’s Temperance Association.
My attention was first drawn to the subject of Police Matrons during the year of the Queen’s Jubilee, when amidst the prolonged season of national festivity, public thought was for a moment arrested by certain scandalous proceedings in our metropolitan police department as its administration was brought to light in connection with the notorious Cass case. The recollection of this may have faded from the memory of most people, therefore let me recapitulate in brief. A young dressmaker, by name Miss Cass, when walking down Oxford Street about nine o’clock in the evening, was arrested by Police Constable Endacott, despite her earnest protests of innocence, was then carried off to a police station, and having been charged with solicitation of the streets, was locked up for the night. Investigation proved the charge to be absolutely groundless, and that Miss Cass was not only innocent of the specified offence, but was a girl of spotless reputation. The excitement caused by this occurrence lasted for more than a midsummer day, and while many of the leading newspapers dwelt at no considerable length upon it, it occurred to some to enquire
This ends mid-sentence - perhaps delete from ‘… and while many of the leading newspapers’ onwards?
Given the low numbers of female police officers and staff in the early decades of the twentieth century it remained usual for female suspects to be questioned solely by male officers and guidelines around technique were sparse. In 1928, a scandal emerged. A woman, Irene Savidge, was accused of public indecency with a prominent former politician. The police questioned Savidge for five hours, having dismissed the police chaperone she was entitled to. Savidge later claimed she had been bullied and sexually harassed during the questioning and the case contributed to the Royal Commission on Police Powers and Procedure (1929). One of its recommendations was the introduction of more women police officers to provide a safer environment for women under arrest.
However, insensitive and inappropriate interviewing by male police officers remained a recurrent problem for much of the twentieth century.
Add a trigger warning again? Perhaps even say that learners can skip the activity if they are likely to find it triggering?
Activity 5 Reporting a rape
Watch the following 5-minute film in which the filmmaker of a 1982 BBC fly-on-the-wall documentary called ‘A complaint of rape’ is interviewed. The original film documented an interview with a woman who reported she had been raped. The documentary caused significant controversy in its exposure of how some police officers treated reports of rape. After the interview she subsequently withdrew the claim.
As you watch the film consider whether the way the interview was conducted may have contributed to this decision.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p09lqp6t
Discussion
The woman who comes into the police station saying she has been raped is subjected to a cross examination by three plain clothed male police officers. She has no access to medical support or to female officers. The police officers are disbelieving, laugh at times, and their body language is aggressive and disinterested. They ask her personal, intrusive and degrading questions. At one point she is obviously distressed and yet they show no sympathy or ask her if she needs a break. They do their best to dissuade her from taking her allegation further. At the end of the interview the woman turns to the sound recordist saying that it is not surprising that women don’t report rape.
The original 1982 BBC documentary contributed to changes in police policy, including the provision of rape suites and specialist teams for victims of assault. The Police and Criminal Evidence Act (1984) (PACE) fully revised the interview practice, including mandating audio recording of victim and suspect interviews.
Despite this, there is continuing evidence that, in relation to the interview of victims of sexual assault in particular, some police officers and some police forces act inappropriately. Devon and Cornwall police was, in 2022, placed in special measures by the HMICFRS amid reports that some of its officers had abused women and the force had failed to take reports by these women seriously.