On Friday we were pleased to welcome to our Zoom forum Ms. Carolyn Daley. The author of “Vancouver’s Women in Blue”, she spoke with authority of the rise of the female component of the Vancouver Police Force (the book is available from Ruddy Duck Press). She retired from the force after serving for 28 years and retiring as deputy chief constable, at the time the highest rank achieved by a woman in that force.
The story of women in the force is not one that has been entirely favourable to the history of the force. There has however in the past few years been a dramatic increase in both the number and the reputation of a force that now represents a solid front to the community. She spoke of the gender-based double standards of women that characterized the role of women in the past (now quite a long past, the first woman police officer being appointed in 1904). There have been issues in the past with respect to the Police Officers Physical Abilities Test (POPAT), which is fundamental to both genders, as both sexes are required to be able to meet exacting standards of the real hazards of the profession, but there are no longer any disputes as to the ability of women to attain those standards.
Naturally, not all was (and is?) clear sailing. Carolyn spoke of the real tensions occasionally arising because of the wives of police officers being somewhat against women being in the same force as were their husbands, a situation with which she had to deal while being in such a high leadership position. In answer to a question from the audience, she frankly said that such divisive matters have occurred, but that public a acceptance of the role of women in the force now seems established.
Altogether a balanced and erudite discussion, but one that rather impelled the listeners to seek out the book (running to 286 pages, one suspects that it is a full and unembroidered story).
The story of women in the force is not one that has been entirely favourable to the history of the force. There has however in the past few years been a dramatic increase in both the number and the reputation of a force that now represents a solid front to the community. She spoke of the gender-based double standards of women that characterized the role of women in the past (now quite a long past, the first woman police officer being appointed in 1904). There have been issues in the past with respect to the Police Officers Physical Abilities Test (POPAT), which is fundamental to both genders, as both sexes are required to be able to meet exacting standards of the real hazards of the profession, but there are no longer any disputes as to the ability of women to attain those standards.
Naturally, not all was (and is?) clear sailing. Carolyn spoke of the real tensions occasionally arising because of the wives of police officers being somewhat against women being in the same force as were their husbands, a situation with which she had to deal while being in such a high leadership position. In answer to a question from the audience, she frankly said that such divisive matters have occurred, but that public a acceptance of the role of women in the force now seems established.
Altogether a balanced and erudite discussion, but one that rather impelled the listeners to seek out the book (running to 286 pages, one suspects that it is a full and unembroidered story).
