North Yorkshire Police has made the hijab part of its uniform for officers who wish to wear it.

PC Uzma Amireddy, who designed the Muslim headscarf with her colleague PC Arfan Rahouf, wore the force’s new official hijab on Monday for the first time.

Officers have been able to wear their own hijabs until now. PC Amireddy was the first in North Yorkshire Police to wear one in 2019.

But this is the first time it has been incorporated into the county’s police uniform.

Read more:

• Police record 64 speeders in an hour in Harrogate
• Harrogate is the cannabis hotspot of North Yorkshire

PC Amireddy tweeted:

“I was afraid when I started wearing hijab. I feared that this may hinder me in policing, especially proactive roles.

“Finally it is now part of North Yorkshire Police’s uniform. Let’s hope the future is optimistic.”

PC Rahouf added it had taken many months to design the hijab and he was pleased to hear it was comfortable.

PC Uzma Amireddy

North Yorkshire Police commended the two officers.

A spokesperson said:

“We need to be more representative of the communities we serve, in order for us to be an inclusive work force and deliver a better service.

“We need to listen to the needs of our existing workforce and ensure there is an avenue by which issues such as this can be raised and resolved.”

North Yorkshire’s move to incorporate the hijab follows the example set by Metropolitan Police and Police Scotland in the UK.