Case cards, alphabetical by surname - Women Police Branch, South Australian Police Department (GRS/4060)

This series comprises a record of cases dealt with by the Women Police Branch.

Women Police during the period dealt primarily with the moral and social welfare of women and children, with criminal offences being handled by the regular police force. The cases documented in these cards include: domestic issues, persons placed in or missing from institutions, including the elderly, missing children and family members, advising people re: conduct in public, charges of drunkenness and larceny, and enquiries made for other government departments.

Cards are arranged alphabetically by name of woman or child, with contacts listed chronologically on each card. The date range of the cards is circa 1940 to 1974, although the bulk of them date from circa 1962 to 1974. It may be that 'inactive' cards were removed from this set while in use.

Information includes personal details of woman or child, eg. age, address, and occupation, together with details of incident, observations by police officer, circumstances of case and other general information. In some cases, a photograph is also attached to the card.

This series ended in 1974 when women were integrated into the same chain of command as male police officers, and the welfare aspect of the job was undertaken by officers of the Department for Community Welfare.

Arranged alphabetically by surname.