Cops fight beard rule

SYDNEY: Officers with beards and pony-tails appeared at a Melbourne anti-discrimination tribunal yesterday to fight a ruling restricting their facial hair to neatly trimmed beards. The officers are trying to overturn a January ruling that allows only Sikhs and those with medical conditions in the 14,000-strong Victorian Police force have unrestricted facial hair. The Police Association, a labour union, said Damon Hunter and his 15 colleagues were on their own in their case before the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. dpa