The first hijab-wearing frontline police officer on the Leicestershire force is trialling a new design of the garment from New Zealand – Khadeejah Mansur joined the force as a student officer in October 2020 and is the first to try the new design.
The 21-year-old started wearing a hijab in February last year and hadn’t considered how it would work with her uniform when applying to the force.
“My mum was a big push in applying for it but I also wanted to represent our diverse communities, especially here in Leicester,” she told Leicestershire Live.
During her training, she was asked to trial the hijab design created for New Zealand police by designers at Massey University College in the country’s capital, Wellington.
She said: “I had no idea that I was the first until somebody told me.
“It was a proud moment for me. I did feel a tiny bit of pressure but mostly, it was quite empowering.”
Detective Constable Yassin Desai the joint chair of Leicestershire’s Association of Muslim Police and a member of the National Association of Muslim Police welcomed the design saying a lot of consideration went into it.
Detective Constable Desai added: “More importantly it will help attract other Muslim females to become police officers.
“It shows that Leicestershire Police is inclusive and accessible and recognises the need for religious headwear.
“It will also help to provide role models to the community to show them they too can follow a career in policing.”
Editor-in-Chief | Carl D. Pearson has been involved in British politics and media from an early age, with the key knowledge of what it takes to run a news organisation for the 21st century. Mr Pearson, as Editor-in-chief, is responsible for supervising the daily tasks of publishing media and content to UNN’s website and various platforms.
[sibwp_form id=4]
