Do we really want police women wearing burkas?

ABRITISH bobby is a person in whom we trust. Unarmed and walking the streets (though we see less of this these days) they are figures of both reassurance and authority.

But how would you feel if you couldn’t see a WPC’s face – if she was wearing a burka? David Thompson, Chief Constable of West Midlands Police, has said that his force “would have to consider” any request from a police officer to wear one of these garments, which covers the face apart from the eyes.

He says his priority is “serving the people of the West Midlands” but many West Midlanders would probably feel that their interests were not best served if they couldn’t see the face of a police woman. It is also worth remembering that women officers are often invaluable in performing the more sensitive aspects of policing, which involve vulnerable old people, women or children. How comforted will they feel if faced by a burka?

There is nothing wrong with a Sikh policeman wearing a turban or a Jewish officer wearing a yarmulke. If we want to recruit police from ethnic minorities then allowances must be made. But while a headscarf worn by a Muslim WPC would not obscure the face and is acceptable, a burka is different.

David Thompson should make sure that he really is thinking of the citizens he serves and not simply burnishing his own politically correct credentials.