In this case, I would actually prefer “Female”. Female is an adjective whereas “woman” is a noun. Somehow, using “woman” to denote gender seems the more popular choice, however it grates on my ears whenever I hear it.

Many policewomen are stationed in certain sections of the police force only.

Do we have policewomen in the SAG? We never did. Do we have policewomen in the Mobile Squad? We never did.

We all watch TV and during footballs matches abroad sometimes we see fights between supporters. We see the Police Riot Squad entering the scene to control the situation, and when sometimes they take off their helmets you realise that some of them are women. This is not the case in Malta.

Women in Malta are always defending their right to be treated equally as men, so this should be in all aspects of life.

As Daphne rightly stated a police sergeant is a police sergeant, no matter the gender. And this goes for all the ranks within the police force.

OK, on the toughness bit you’re right.

But on the other bit – if the Maltese police corps makes a distinction between its male and female members, then the journalist was right to point it out. The fact that it’s behind the times is immaterial – be it for The Times as for other newspapers.

[Daphne – Not really. This was a law report, and the law doesn’t consider the gender of a police officer in terms of assault. You don’t get a tougher penalty for assaulting a police officer if that police officer happens to be a woman.]

I think, actually, that the crime is more heinous when a woman is attacked – particularly if the assailant is a big man.

I therefore have to disagree with you on this one.

[Daphne – It isn’t. If you’re tough enough to be a police officer, you’re equal. The Malta Police Force has them down as WPC and WPS because they’re behind the times and the Equal Rights Commission or whatever it is hasn’t noticed yet. In the British police system on which ours is modelled, it’s PC Samantha Jones.]