A police project that involved spending £100,000 helping a Sikh officer find a chemical and biological attack suit to fit over his turban and beard has been described as “ridiculous”. The junior officer, who has not been named, encountered problems trying to join West Midlands Police’s counter-terrorist operation support unit because he could not fit protective gear over his religious headwear and beard.
Police chiefs decided to let him spend 18 months trying to find new respirators and helmets suitable for Sikhs. But after failing to come up with an alternative he was restored to his regular role – only to go on long-term sick leave for stress.The cost of the 18-month project has been estimated at £100,000 and has been criticised for being a “ridiculous” waste of taxpayers’ cash.
John Mellor, a former West Midlands Police chief superintendent, said: “Taking 18 months out of an officer’s duties and the colossal cost of the project is indefensible.” A spokesman for West Midlands Police said: “West Midlands Police is a diverse organisation, which both serves and recruits from a diverse community. No Sikh officer has applied and been ‘turned down’ from joining the operational support unit because of faith issues. “However, it has been identified that for some members of the Sikh faith, the removal of the turban to wear a helmet and the wearing of a respirator could be problematic. “As an employer committed to equality and diversity, we are working to try to find a solution to what is a national issue.”
When is this ridiculous pandering going to end, when we run out of money? This guy will probably go to work for the Pentagon.
How did this get from religious idiocy to gay marriage? I think gay people should get married, let them suffer like everyone else
Getting back on topic, it seems to me that if my beliefs involved certain unusual requirements with respect to clothing or personal care, I would just need to accept that those requirements may conflict with certain jobs. If I were a Muslim woman required to wear a Hijab, the position of underwear model for example would hardly be one suited or adaptable to my requirements.