The woman who changed the face of policing

She paved the way for thousands of female police officers – but how did Edith Smith navigate such a male dominated profession at a time when women didn’t even have the right to vote? The Secret Lincolnshire podcast looks at the life of the first female police officer with the power of arrest, who was based in Grantham.

Edith Smith was born near Birkenhead in 1876. She married her husband, William Smith, when she was 21 and had four children.

When William suddenly died in 1907, Edith moved to London, trained as a nurse and became a midwife.

After another career change in 1914, Edith joined the Women Police Volunteers.

The following year she arrived at Belton Park, just outside Grantham, which was used as a camp for soldiers during World War One.

She was tasked with tackling prostitution in the area.

Lyn Bacon organises tours in Grantham telling Edith’s story.

“The Home Office were against it. They said that women were not fit for purpose, they couldn’t vote, they couldn’t sit on a jury – so how on earth could they expect women to be able to arrest?

“The suffrage movement were against it. They were saying women had been treated brutally by the police. They wanted to stop arrests, they wanted compassion and proactivity. They wanted to reduce arrests.”

Ms Bacon said this was, in fact, what Edith went on to do.

“We hail Edith as being the first policewoman who could arrest but, on the other hand, her real triumph for me was that she reduced arrest. She was actually proactive in stopping it.”

Edith became an advocate for public health. She looked at living conditions, the number of children on the streets, and gave advice to people about avoiding sexually transmitted diseases and teenage pregnancies.

Ms Bacon said: “She didn’t do one job – she did all of them and a police woman, for me, was just a part of that.

“She had her ear to the ground. She had clinics – 20 a week – where people would come with whatever problem they had. Edith would try and resolve them.”

In 1916, Edith’s annual report said she had dealt with more than 400 cases. However, Ms Bacon claims she was involved with many more.

Just before World War One came to an end, Edith left her post due to what she described as chest troubles.

She went on to become the matron of Lindis Nursing Home in Grantham but was asked to resign.

She died by suicide in 1924.

Kerrin Wilson, former assistant chief constable of Lincolnshire Police, said she was grateful for Edith’s work.

“If it hadn’t have been for Edith changing the rules and remaking the rules, then I wouldn’t have had the career that I had.

“I didn’t think she ever envisaged that she would be changing the legacy for a whole nation. But she did.”

Visit BBC Sounds to listen to the full series of Secret Lincolnshire.