There’s dismay and outrage in Britain as West Midlands Police issued a statement in support of the burka as part of police uniform.
Chief Constable Dave Thompson, the head of the force, announced that he would be thrilled to offend and demean the women of Britain by letting some extremist police officers wear the full face-and-body covering sack that is not part of mainstream Muslim tradition.
The Islamophobic statement also appeared to imply that the burka was somehow reflective of the Muslim community of the West Midlands, and that using it in police uniform would help West Midlands Police recruit more officers from Muslim backgrounds. Thomas wrote that resisting the burka could stand in the way of recruiting more Muslim police:
“As it stands we have not had any approaches from potential recruits asking to wear the burka, but if such an approach was made it is something we would have to consider.
“Serving the people of the West Midlands is at the heart of what we do and I would need to carefully consider anything that could be seen as standing in the way of that relationship.” – Chief Constable Dave Thomas
The disgusting statement went on to justify the vicious misogyny of the burka by pointing out what proportion of West Midlands Police Officers were from ethnic minority backgrounds:
West Midlands Police has announced the recruitment of around 800 new police officers.
Around 30 per cent of the West Midlands community are from black and minority ethnic backgrounds (BME) while 9 per cent of West Midlands’ 7,000 police officers are from the BME community.
However, the burka only ever affects Muslim women – and insults all the women who are forced to see another woman in a sickening shroud. As we might infer from such a sexist statement and thought process, Dave Thompson did NOT list the proportion of the ‘West Midlands Community’ who are female – shall we say 50% – versus the proportion of the police who are female. Muslim women and other women who do not want to see such misogyny are not considered in this statement, nor is recruiting more women to “reflect the community” seen as important.
The sexism of West Midlands Police puts race ahead of sex and shows that women in the West Midlands are second-class citizens to their Chief Constable. The statement finished with a double-down on only racial and religious issues mattering to the police – and not the feelings of women in the West Midlands.
The last Labour government heavily politicised the upper ranks of the UK police with hard-core leftists, such as Dave Thompson. The statement in support of the burka finished:
Mr Thompson added: “What’s important here is that we reflect the community we serve. We’ve already taken significant steps with a third of our current recruits from BME backgrounds but there’s far more to be done.”
Once more, BME (Black Minority Ethnic) is seen as mattering to the police, but recruiting more women and not grossly offending them does not come into it.
There was dismay in the UK and the press reflected the anger of local people – including Muslim groups.
The leftist, Labour police commissioner of Leicestershire- an elected politician who sets policy – said he would be ‘sympathetic’ to incorporating the burka — or extremist, full-face, full-body Wahhabist veil from one extreme sect of Islam— to the police uniform if asked to do so.
But thankfully, Leicester’s own police chief poured cold water on the idea.
The UK is plagued by activist senior police perverting the rank and file and wishes of the public. UK courts have already ruled that the burka can be banned in places where the face needs to be seen – such as in the witness box, in school, or getting a driving license. The police would certainly count. Heat Street is seeking comment on the matter from the Home Secretary Amber Rudd.
The London Metropolitan Police was the first to allow women officers to wear the simple hijab — which contrary to the burka, covers the neck and head but leaves the face clear — whilst on duty over a decade ago. It also granted Indian Sikh officers permission to serve wearing a turban and Jewish officers permission to wear a yarmulke. The easy-going UK public has no problem with any of these religious items, as they do not cover the faces of the officers that serve them – male or female.
The news raised more than one eyebrow, drawing criticisms from several public officials, including Conservative MP David Davies, who worked in the British Transport police for nine years, who said he was “horrified” by the West Midlands Police’s proposal.
“I understand that police want to get Muslims to join, and I welcome that. But this is not the way to do it,” he told the Telegraph.
Several Muslim organizations have also, understandably, criticised the move.
The Muslim Council of Britain told Heat Street that police services, in consultation with the local communities they serve are ultimately the ones “best placed to decide the type of uniform which facilitates their work.” But the organization also recently pointed out that not only is the actual percentage of women wearing the burka very small, but those who do “would probably not want to be in the police.”
A spokesperson for the Leicestershire Federation of Muslim Organizations equally said he was “not convinced” this would work well with “the kind of job we’re talking about.”
“Identification is crucial and this would cause difficulties for members of the public” he added.