Women in UK Policing since 1915

Since the publication of her 2006 monograph, 'Women Police: Gender, Welfare and Surveillance in the Twentieth Century', Professor Louise Jackson’s research has led to increased knowledge and understanding amongst serving and retired police officers, as well as members of the public more widely, of the role of women in UK policing since the First World War. 

Professor Jackson’s research has fed directly into collaborations that have involved the production of exhibition materials, talks and presentations, and a range of media outputs. In particular, impact has been achieved through collaborative work with the British Association of Women in Policing (BAWP) which led, in 2015-16, to the creation and display of a highly popular travelling exhibition, ‘Looking Back on 100 Years’ on which she worked with research assistant Victoria Anker. In 2014, Professor Jackson was also invited to contribute a post on Edith Smith, the first female police officer, to the No 10 Guest Historians Series of the History of Government Blog. The blog has been widely used as a resource and was referenced (and added as a hyperlink) to an article by The Guardian’s Home Affairs editor Allan Travis, covering the Home Secretary’s talk at the British Library commemorative event (‘First Female PC wins Theresa May’s acclaim and apology’).

Professor Jackson was interviewed for BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour and BBC Look North in 2014,  and BBC Radio 4 Making History in 2016. She was filmed and provided advice and consultancy for the 90-minute documentary 'A Fair Cop. A Century of British Policewomen' which was made by ifnotus films and broadcast on BBC4 in March 2015.  This documentary was highly recommended and favourably reviewed across the British press.