Revisiting the classics: women in control? The role of women in law enforcement: Frances Heidensohn

The detective you will meet in the following stories is usually regarded as the first female professional detective to appear in fiction. She is a mysterious and somewhat shadowy figure. We learn little about her..Even the police don't seem to know her real name..she often works undercover. All this obfuscation makes sense when you realise that when 'The female detective' was first published in May 1864 there were no women detectives in Britain-in fact there were no women police officers.