JOIN THE BRITISH POLICE FORCE!

 

The selection procedure itself was a bizarre affair - an undignified ordeal which no woman recruit would have to undergo nowadays. As bright eyed young rookies who knew no better, we simply went along with it. First there were eyesight tests then hearing tests followed by intelligence tests and the like. Nothing unusual so far. But then came the surprise. The women were lined up alongside each other and paraded in front of a mixed panel of very senior police officers who instructed us to remove all our upper clothing - bras as well. Then we were given a looking over and expected, in this highly vulnerable state of undress, to answer a series of questions put by a po-faced panel of experienced police officers. No one bothered to explain at the time what good would be served by having a twenty two year old woman bare her breasts in front of a group of men. Although in later years I developed a theory!

 

This paragraph is on page 17 of the book entitled "No Way up The Greasy Pole"
by Alison Halford, the former Assistant Chief Constable of Merseyside.