Introduction

This opening chapter overviews why policemenPolicemen were needed, the characteristics that made them ideal substitutes into agriculture during the last two years of the Great WarGreat War, and gives the historical sources used to find this unusual release from police dutiesPoliceduties. It reveals why government nationalised farming in the public interest due to the crisis of threatened population starvationStarvation after more than three years of war, and how the police helped to increase crop productionCrop productionincreasing while pacifying a frightened peopleFrightened population. Indications of the level of support for agriculture by government and within the police are outlined for development in later chapters. The role of the police by temporary substitution into other occupations in times of crisis is also outlined.