Working With Muslims
Public Sector Series

Police Leadership
Management Guide

Managing Operational Duties, Community Engagement, and Staff Welfare.
A manual for Sergeants, Inspectors and Senior Leadership.

👮 Uniform & PPE 🗝️ Custody Suite 📅 Rotas & Leave 🤝 Community ☕ Team Culture 🧕 Female Officers

Introduction: Leading a Diverse Force

Managing Muslim officers requires an understanding of a faith that intersects with daily routines. From uniform adjustments to rota flexibility during Ramadan, small management changes yield huge gains in morale and retention.

1. Uniform, Kit & PPE

The Principle: Operational safety is non-negotiable. "Tradition" is negotiable.

Beards & Appearance

Many Muslim men view the beard as a religious commitment.

  • Routine Patrol: For neighbourhood and response policing, a neat, trimmed beard is perfectly acceptable and widely permitted across UK forces.
  • Policy: Ensure your "Standards of Appearance" policy explicitly accommodates religious beards so supervisors don't challenge them unnecessarily during parades.

Hijabs in Uniform

Standard headscarves can present a safety risk in a physical confrontation.

  • The Solution: Issue Operational Sports Hijabs. These are made of wicking fabric and use magnetic (or velcro) release clasps. If grabbed, they detach safely, preventing injury.
  • Supply: Ensure these are available in stores as standard kit, so officers do not have to "special order" them.

2. The Custody Suite Guide

The Custody Sergeant is responsible for the safe detention of diverse individuals.

Booking In & Risk

  • The Qibla (Direction): Detainees often ask "Which way is Makkah?". Knowing this (or having a mark on the cell ceiling) de-escalates stress significantly.
  • Prayer Mats: A standard rug can be a ligature risk. Use purpose-made Safety Mats (heavy rubber) or allow them to use a clean blanket.

Diet & Ramadan

  • Fasting Detainees: During Ramadan, a detainee needs to eat before dawn (Suhoor) and after sunset (Iftar).
    Action: Mark the cell whiteboard: "FASTING: Wake for food at 03:00". Missing this meal effectively starves them for 24 hours.
  • Contamination: Ensure tongs used for sausages are not used for vegetarian/Halal options. Cross-contamination causes significant distress.

3. Rotas, Briefings & Prayer

The "Maghrib" (Sunset) Conflict

Most prayers have a wide window. Maghrib (Sunset) does not. It affects the "Late Turn" shift massively.

  • The Issue: Maghrib must be prayed immediately after the sun goes down. This often coincides exactly with Team Briefings or Shift Handover.
  • The Solution: Do not force them to sit through a 20-min briefing while the sun sets. Allow them to step out for 5 minutes to pray, then re-join. They will be more focused having fulfilled the duty.

The "Moon Sighting" Uncertainty

Eid dates depend on the lunar sighting. They can move by 24 hours at the last minute.

  • The Conflict: Rotas are fixed weeks in advance. An officer might book "Tuesday" for Eid, but the moon is sighted late.
  • Strategy: Build in "Flexibility Windows". Acknowledging this uncertainty proactively prevents last-minute panic.

4. The Proactive Manager

The biggest barrier is silence. Officers often feel "awkward" asking for religious accommodations.

Don't Wait for Them to Ask

A junior officer or new recruit will rarely have the confidence to say "Sarge, can I go pray?". They will suffer in silence and burn out.

Your script: "I know you observe prayer times. Look, we have a briefing at 4pm, does that clash with Asr? Let me know what you need and we'll work it out."

Why this matters: By bringing it up first, you validate their identity and remove the "burden of asking". It signals psychological safety.

5. Community Engagement

Building trust with Muslim communities requires cultural intelligence.

Visiting Mosques

If your NPT (Neighbourhood Policing Team) is visiting a mosque:

  • Shoes: Removing boots is mandatory. Walking on prayer carpets with street shoes is deeply offensive. If H&S forbids removing boots, ask for "Overshoes" (blue plastic covers) or stand in the tiled foyer.
  • Timing: Do not turn up during the prayer. Arrive 15 mins before or wait until it finishes.
  • Gender: In some mosques, men and women pray separately. Male officers should check before entering the women's section, and vice versa.

House Searches (Non-Emergency)

If conducting a planned enquiry or search:

  • Modesty: If entering early morning, give female occupants a moment to cover their hair/put on robes before entering rooms, if operational safety permits.
  • Religious Items: Treat the Qur'an with respect. Do not place it on the floor. Ask the owner to move it to a high shelf.

5. Team Culture & Bonding

Retention of Muslim officers often fails due to feelings of exclusion.

The "Pub" Barrier

Historically, team bonding happens in the pub.

  • The Issue: Many Muslims do not drink alcohol and avoid environments centred around it. If all "informal mentoring" happens at the pub, they miss out.
  • The Solution: Mix up social events. Coffee mornings, curry nights, or breakfast debriefs are inclusive. You don't have to ban the pub, but don't make it the only venue for bonding.

6. Female Muslim Officers

Specific considerations for women in the force.

Locker Rooms

Changing in front of others can be a barrier.

  • Modesty: Islam emphasizes covering the "Awrah" (body). Communal open showers or changing areas can be difficult.
  • Support: Offering a private cubicle or staggering changing times allows them to maintain dignity without fuss.

Uniform Fit

Standard issue trousers/shirts can sometimes be short or tight.

  • Adjustment: Allow access to larger sizes or longer tunic-style tops (often available in maternity or alternative catalogues) to ensure the uniform is loose-fitting, which meets religious modesty requirements while looking smart.