Julie Gagnon, a spokeswoman for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, said the organization developed a special hijab but said no officer is wearing it as no members have requested to wear the hijab on duty since the policy was officially adopted in January.  The hijab has become an optional part of the Police Scotland uniform as the force works to encourage Muslim women to join the service. There have been roughly 30 recent cases of RCMP officers asking for some relaxation in the uniform rules, mostly men asking to wear beards again in accordance with religious tradition. The Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police recently approved the change in policy, allowing Muslim women to wear the garment, a veil that covers the head and chest, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale's spokesman said Wednesday. “The commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) recently approved this addition to the uniform,” Scott Bardsley said.“This is intended to better reflect the diversity in our communities and encourage more Muslim women to consider the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as a career option.” 
 
 The RCMP is hardly the first to alter its stance with regard to head scarves for Muslim women. Bardsley noted police services in the cities of Toronto and Edmonton and those across the United Kingdom, Sweden and Norway, as well as some U.S. states, have adopted similar policies.
– While cops in France crack down on burkinis, police forces in two other countries have decided to embrace the hijab. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have decided to allow female officers to wear a hijab while on duty in a bid to encourage diversity among the Mounties, the Independent reports. Police officers in Scotland were already allowed to wear the hijab, but only with approval from senior officers, the Telegraph reports. The headscarf has now been made an official part of the uniform. "Like many other employers, especially in the public sector, we are working towards ensuring our service is representative of the communities we serve," Scottish Chief Constable Phil Gormley said in a statement. In Canada, officials say they hope the shift in uniform policy will encourage more Muslim women to join the Mounties, the AP reports. They note that hijabs were already allowed by police in Toronto, as well as by forces in Sweden, Norway, and London, which added the hijab to the uniform in 2001.