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Canada's Mounties allow women in uniform to wear hijabs
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, known as the Mounties, is to allow women in uniform to wear hijabs.
Government spokesman Scott Bardsley said the move was to reflect the diversity in Canada's communities and to attract more female Muslim officers.
The iconic uniform, famed for its wide-brimmed hat, has barely changed since it was introduced two centuries ago.
Recent figures show women make up about a fifth of the RCMP but it is not clear how many this measure will affect.
Three types of hijabs were tested before one was selected as suitable for police work, local media reported.
According to the Montreal newspaper La Presse, an internal memo said the hijab could be removed quickly and easily if needed, and did not encumber officers.
Relaxing the rules
The policy was introduced quietly earlier this year, though it was not prompted by any requests from officers, according to the AFP agency.
Some 30 officers had asked for a relaxing of the rules for religious or cultural reasons over the past two years, La Presse reported.
In most cases, the requests were from male officers wanting to grow beards.
Canada's Mounties allow women in uniform to wear hijabs - BBC News
Canada's Mounties allow women in uniform to wear hijabs
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, known as the Mounties, is to allow women in uniform to wear hijabs.
Government spokesman Scott Bardsley said the move was to reflect the diversity in Canada's communities and to attract more female Muslim officers.
The iconic uniform, famed for its wide-brimmed hat, has barely changed since it was introduced two centuries ago.
Recent figures show women make up about a fifth of the RCMP but it is not clear how many this measure will affect.
Three types of hijabs were tested before one was selected as suitable for police work, local media reported.
According to the Montreal newspaper La Presse, an internal memo said the hijab could be removed quickly and easily if needed, and did not encumber officers.
Relaxing the rules
The policy was introduced quietly earlier this year, though it was not prompted by any requests from officers, according to the AFP agency.
Some 30 officers had asked for a relaxing of the rules for religious or cultural reasons over the past two years, La Presse reported.
In most cases, the requests were from male officers wanting to grow beards.
Canada's Mounties allow women in uniform to wear hijabs - BBC News
