SWNS David Thompson was criticised after refusing to rule out officers wearing burkas on duty

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West Midlands Police Chief Constable David Thompson was blasted after he refused to rule out allowing female recruits to wear the face-covering garments. He said that his force “would have to consider” any requests to wear the burka, which covers both the face and body, and the full-face niqab, which leaves the eye area clear. The decision was met with outrage from MPs and public figures and was even slammed as a bad idea by the Muslim Council of Britain.

Tory MP David Davies, who worked as a policeman in London for nine years, blasted the move as “a load of politically correct nonsense”. But today, Leicestershire Police's Chief Constable Simon Cole said he would also consider Muslim WPCs’ wishes to wear full Islamic dress while on duty. He added: “We have been made aware of discussions in other police forces regarding incorporating burkas into police uniform.

SWNS Simon Cole also said he would consider allowing Muslim officers to wear a burka

If such a request was made, it would be considered in line with force policies Simon Cole of Leicestershire Police

“It is not something that Leicestershire Police has been asked to consider by an officer or a potential recruit. “If such a request was made, it would be considered in line with force policies.” Leicestershire's Police and Crime Commissioner Lord Bach also said he would be “sympathetic” to the idea.

But Chief Constable Simon Cole's comments were criticised by public figures in Leicestershire. Gush Bhumbra, the president of the Leicester Secular Society, said: “As a member of the public I want to see a face to comfort me in a stressful situation. “If I've been the victim of a crime or an accident and an officer behind a mask would not do that for me as much as normal face-to-face contact.

SWNS Tory MP David Davis called the idea politically correct nonsense

“I have been the victim of a crime and of a car accident and also an investigation by an officer following a false allegation. “If those officers had been masked I would have been even more upset and stressed.“ Suleman Nagdi, a spokesman for the Leicestershire Federation of Muslim Organisations, said that common sense was needed when considering the proposal. He added: “I'm not convinced whether it would work well with the kind of job we're talking about.

“Identification is crucial and this would cause difficulties for members of the public. “Of course, I welcome the fact it is being considered. “But I'm also trying to be practical.”

SWNS One major concern is that a burka would make identification much more difficult