STAR BIRTHDAYS
HARRY Belafonte, calypso and folk singer, 94; Mike d’Abo, rock singer, 77; Roger Daltrey, pictured, actor and singer (The Who), 77; Catherine Bach, actress, 67; Ron Howard, actor/director, 67; Nik Kershaw, singer, 63; Lady Rose Windsor, daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, 41; Justin Bieber, singer, 27.
I HAVE been running a project, Cops Communities Consent, for the past three years through Open Society Foundation and working with the police forces in Leicestershire, Antwerp and Rotterdam.
I hope the new dress addition to our force’s uniform (“Khadeejah first on the frontline to wear a hijab”, Mercury, February 26) will contribute to making the police more reflective of the communities it serves.
This will encourage a greater diversity of applicants and demonstrates the openness of our police force to consider applications from all background.
Leicestershire Police aims to increase the numbers of the black, Asian and minority ethnic officers to at least one in four.
Considering current application trends, this would appear to be achievable.
I am so pleased Khadeejah is an exceptional example of how diversity and inclusion works.
I believe it is a big step for Leicestershire Police to be able to cater to upcoming hijab wearing Muslim female officers.
It breaks down barriers, breaks stereotypes and brings communities together and that is something that we value as police officers.
The hijab itself is fashionable and practical.
I hope it will be inspiring to fellow Muslim females to encourage them to start a career with our police force.
Suleman Nagdi, Leicester