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Scotland approves hijab to boost policing career

Police Scotland announced hijab to be part of its uniform in a bid to attract more women to policing as a career option. This move comes 15 years after Metropolitan police introduced optional hijabs for officers in London.
Previously, officers could wear the religious headscarf approval but it is now formally part of the force uniform.

 

Chief Constable Phil Gormley said that the police force should be representative of the communities that they serve. This comes a decade after the Metropolitan Police in London approved a uniform hijab.
Police Scotland has announced that the hijab will become part of the official uniform as it aims to create a more diverse force.
Police Scotland said it is working to make the force “representative of the communities we serve”.

Gormley said, “I am delighted to make this announcement and welcome the support from both the Muslim community and the wider community, as well as police officers and staff.”Like many other employers, especially in the public sector, we are working towards ensuring our service is representative of the communities we serve.

“I hope that this addition to our uniform options will contribute to making our staff adds to the life skills, experiences and personal qualities that our officers and staff bring to policing the communities of Scotland.”A report earlier this year showed just 2.6 percent of applicants to join Police Scotland were from ethnic minorities.

The latest announcement is aimed at encouraging more Muslim women to consider a career in the police force.
The Scottish police Muslim association’s chairman Fahad Bashir welcomed the announcement on the Hijab.
“This is a positive step in the right direction, and I am delighted that Police Scotland is taking productive steps in order to ensure that our organisation is seen to be inclusive and represents the diverse communities that we serve across Scotland. No doubt this will encourage more women from Muslim and minority ethnic backgrounds to join Police Scotland,” Bashir said.

 

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