TWO EVENTS WERE ESPECIALLY INFLUENTIAL IN THE ACCEPTANCE OF WOMEN POLICE IN THE 1920'S: CONCERN OVER WHITE SLAVE TRAFFIC AND THE ADVENT OF WORLD WAR II. IN 1914, THE NATIONAL UNION OF WOMEN WORKERS WAS APPROACHED BY SCOTLAND YARD AND ASKED TO SET UP WOMEN PATROLS IN LONDON. THE TASK OF THESE PATROLS WAS TO WORK WITH WOMEN AND GIRLS WHO WERE INCREASINGLY HANGING AROUND ARMY CAMPS, PARKS, RECRUITING STATIONS, AND RAILWAY TERMINALS. A SPECIAL WOMEN'S PATROL COMMITTEE WAS FORMED BY THE UNION, AND RECORDS INDICATE THAT AS MANY AS 2,338 WOMEN WORKED AS PATROLS IN 92 DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE CITY. A GROUP KNOWN AS THE WOMEN POLICE VOLUNTEERS, RENAMED THE WOMEN POLICE SERVICE, RESULTED IN CONFUSION OVER VOLUNTEER PATROLS AND REGULAR POLICE. THE WOMEN POLICE SERVICE WAS SUBSEQUENTLY PROSECUTED UNDER THE POLICE ACT OF 1919 AND THE GROUP CHANGED ITS NAME TO THE WOMEN'S AUXILIARY SERVICE. WHEN WOMEN WERE APPOINTED TO THE METROPOLITAN POLICE IN LONDON, THE QUESTION OF WHETHER THEY SHOULD HAVE THE POWER TO ARREST WAS DEBATED. CONDITIONS OF SERVICE FOR WOMEN DIFFERED FROM THOSE OF MEN WITH REGARD TO SCALE OF PAY, HOURS OF BEAT DUTY, AND MINIMUM HEIGHT FOR RECRUITS. WOMEN PROVED TO BE VALUABLE IN PERFORMING DUTIES RELATED TO MISSING WOMEN AND CHILDREN; TAKING STATEMENTS FROM WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN CASES OF SEXUAL OFFENSES; CONVEYING WOMEN AND CHILDREN TO AND FROM HOSPITALS, LAW INSTITUTIONS, POLICE STATIONS, REMAND HOMES, AND APPROVED SCHOOLS; WATCHING FEMALE PRISONERS; ATTENDING WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN COURT; SEARCHING AND ATTENDING WOMEN PRISONERS; AND PERFORMING CLERICAL, PLAIN CLOTHES, AND DETECTIVE WORK. THE CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS ACT OF 1933 AFFECTED THE WORK OF POLICEWOMEN, AND THE REORGANIZATION OF POLICE IN 1934 LAID DOWN STANDARDS FOR THE SELECTION OF POLICE RECRUITS. AN ORDER WAS ISSUED IN 1972 THAT THERE CAN BE NO SEPARATE COMMAND STRUCTURE FOR WOMEN OFFICERS WHO ARE ABLE TO COMPETE ON EQUAL TERMS WITH THEIR MALE COLLEAGUES. (DEP)