Victoria has amended the Police Act to allow Sikh municipal police to wear turbans as it is one of the symbols of their faith, the announcement was made by Attorney General Colin Galbelmann recently.
The new rule allows Sikh police officer of any rank to wear a turban with a municipal badge centered on its front. Sikh officers may also wear a kirpan a ceremonial sword, and a kara, a steel bracelet,
Baltej Dhillon, who made history as the first man to wear a turban in the RCMP after a long fight, says the move is a step in the right direction but rules on paper won’t automatically change racist views.
Dhillon, who was assigned to the 32member Quesnel detachment after finishing training camp in Regina, says there are still under currents of resentment in his community about the turban issue. “In my detachment I feel that have been full accepted, | don’t have any problems here,” he said.
“They’re starting to look beyond the turban.”
Delta Police Insp. Gary West says the force has had no problems attracting Indo Canadian supplicants in the past, although he con cedes that no turban wearing Sikhs have applied for jobs with the department within the past two years.
West, a staff development officer, Says applicants are accepted or rejected based on their qualifications, and doesn’t feel the ruling will trigger a deluge of applications from Sikh members of the community,
Manjit Singh Dhami, president of the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple, says the move sends a positive signal to the community.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 29, 1993
