Edmonton Police Add Hijab Headscarf Option to Uniform

The Edmonton Police Service in Canada has approved the option for female officers of Muslim faith to wear a police-issued hijab headscarf while in uniform, according to an agency statement .

Both the Edmonton police Tactics Training Unit and the Equity, Diversity, and Human Rights Unit worked with a hijab tailor to develop the agency-approved garment "designed to be simple, unobtrusive, and easily removed."

No Muslim women currently serve as officers with the Edmonton Police Service, but the agency wants to encourage members of this large area demographic to join its ranks. The local Muslim community is said to be supportive of this move to allow Muslim female officers to wear the traditional headscarf that covers a woman's head and neck, but not the face. Wearing the hijab on duty has been a controversial topic for other agencies, most often because of safety concerns.

"After rigorous testing, it was determined that the headscarf did not pose any risk to the officer wearing it, or reduce officer effectiveness, nor interfere with police duties or public interactions," the release says.