Why not allow police in burkas? They’re already wearing masks
Do you think it’s ok for a policewoman to wear a veil over her face? The Express and Daily Star says it could happen. Actually both papers say a police woman could wear a burka. They’re wrong.
Dave Thompson, chief constable of West Midlands police, says he’s looking at allowing female staff to wear a niqab. The niqab is a veil for the face that leaves the area around the eyes clear. The burka is a one-piece veil that covers the face and body, often leaving just a mesh screen to see through.
Thompson says it’s “cultural sensitivity” would be taken into account if a woman officer wanted to wear one. He says the force must “reflect the community we serve”.
As yet no female officer has asked to wear a niqab. We don’t know if any woman has been put off from joining the force because they can’t wear one at work.
A spokesman from The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), quips: “The women who do [wear a veil] would probably not want to be in the police.”
Like the Express and Star, Omer El-Hamdoon, deputy secretary general of the MCB, also gets it wrong:
“We appreciate that West Midlands police are trying to open up and recruit more ethnic minority backgrounds, but we feel wearing the burka would restrict duties… In policing that involves a high level of action, you need the face to be shown so the burka would not work in the normal policing environment. But steps to increase the involvement of Muslims in policing are welcome.”
A source at West Midlands police tells the Times:
“Apart from anything else there is the health and safety issue. How could you possibly have an officer pursuing a suspect down the street while wearing a burka over their face?”
Tory MP Philip Davies tells the Express:
“It’s is a load of politically correct nonsense. I’m not for banning people wearing the burka as the government should not tell people what they can and cannot wear. But I do not think we should be encouraging people. The police are supposed to be about getting close to the community. People wearing the burka are actually removing themselves from it.
“This is exactly what happens with political correctness. It builds resentment with ethnic minorities when it is not their fault.”
Of course, they’re right. A copper covering up their face is, as one source tells the Express, “mad”:
PC Samira
Police in veils. Madness!
Posted: 10th, September 2016 | In: Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
