“No doubt this will encourage more women from Muslim and minority ethnic backgrounds to join Police Scotland”.
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While authorities in several French towns have banned women from wearing burkinis on the beach, Police Scotland announced yesterday that it has formally added the hijab as an option to its uniform. A string of other British forces – including in central and northern England where there are large Muslim communities – also allow the headscarf. “I hope that this addition to our uniform options will contribute to making our staff mix more diverse and adds to the life skills, experiences and personal qualities that our officers and staff bring to policing the communities of Scotland”, he added.
According to recent statistics, only 2.6% of applications to join the force were from people from black and minority ethnic (BME) backgrounds, even though the country’s BME population is at 4%.
The announcement was welcomed by the Scottish Police Muslim Association (SPMA), a group that aims to build links between Muslim communities in Scotland and police.
The terrible burkini incident on the French beach in Nice, where police officers forced a Muslim woman to take off her clothing in the name of “secularism”, sparked a wave of criticism across the world. “It means that more Muslim women may see the police as a possible route for a career [now that] it is seen to be inclusive”.
Currently, six female Muslim officers work for Police Scotland.
One figure who responded to SCoJeC’s What’s Changed About Being Jewish in Scotland report said: “Before Police Scotland came into being we always had extra visits from our local bobby to ask how things were in times of heightened tensions and to say they were doing extra patrols”.
Hijab made part of Police Scotland uniform was posted in Top Story of TheNews International – https://www.thenews.com.pk on August 24, 2016 and was last updated on August 24, 2016.
Appearing before MPs at the home affairs select committee last month, Chief Constable Phil Gormley said his force had “diversity challenges” which included increasing the number of black and Asian officers and the number of women in senior posts.
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The Scottish Council of Jewish Communities (SCoJeC) said Jews felt their safety was “not a priority” for Police Scotland and that the “reassurance” offered under legacy forces had disappeared.
