A POLICE force in Yorkshire was yesterday accused of wasting time and public money after sending three officers out to spend a day dressed as Muslim women.
Sgt Deb Leonard, Sgt Deb Pickering and Pc Helen Turner dressed in traditional Islamic costumes including burka, jilbab, hijab and niqab.
They were accompanied by four Muslim women in Sheffield as part of a scheme called In Your Shoes Day, designed
to help South Yorkshire Police learn about the Muslim faith.
In return, the Muslim women had a tour of the police custody suite and closed circuit TV offices and were shown the day-to-day duties of an officer.
But the event was attacked as a "complete waste or police time" by campaigners.
The director of the Centre for Social Cohesion, Douglas Murray, said: "Victims of crime must be amazed that the police have so much time on their hands that they can spend a day playing dress-up.
"This is a complete waste of police time and taxpayers' money. It's not their job to be going round dressing up.
"It's not the duty of police to empathise with particular sections of the community. It is the duty of the police to prevent crime and catch criminals."
The chief executive of the TaxPayers Alliance, Matthew Elliott, called the event "an absurd diversion from real policing".
He added: "People want the police out catching criminals, not indulging in politically correct gimmicks. The police are overstretched as it is without officers being paid to do other things than their real job."
However, a South Yorkshire Police spokesman said: "This exercise is just one of many activities South Yorkshire Police have planned with communities and ethnic minority leaders to secure strong relationships, celebrate diversity and encourage integration."
