A police force has been accused of wasting public money after three officers dressed in burkhas and pretended to be Muslim women for a day. Two sergeants and a community support officer wore either a full burkha or a Muslim dress and headscarf as part of an “In Your Shoes Day”.
But the idea was blasted as a “complete waste of police time and taxpayers’ money”, by Douglas Murray of The Centre For Social Cohesion. “It’s not the duty of police to empathise with particular sections of the community. It is the duty of the police to prevent crime,” said Mr Murray.
The day was branded “an absurd diversion from real policing” by Matthew Elliott of The Tax Payers’ Alliance. People want the police out catching criminals, not indulging in politically correct gimmicks,” he added.
The burkha was a “symbol of oppression of women” which police should not encourage, said Sid Cordle, of the Christian Peoples Alliance. “Are they going to go out dressed as prostitutes or the homeless to see how they feel?” he added.
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