The New Zealand Police, the national police service of the South Pacific island nation, had introduced a uniform that incorporates a hijab as a way to encourage Muslim women to join the force, the BBC reports.
New Zealand Police introduce hijab to uniform https://t.co/LWVnoaS0I7
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) November 18, 2020
Many police departments in the British Commonwealth have introduced similar uniforms to their forces. The Metropolitan Police in London approved a uniform hijab in 2006 with Police Scotland following in 2016. In Australia, the Victoria Police introduced a hijab in 2004.
Constable Zeena Ali, a migrant from Fiji to New Zealand, will be the first officer to don the hijab. She joined the New Zealand national police after the Christchurch mosque attack that killed 51 Muslim worshipers.