6 Women police officers were brought up on disciplinary charges for their hairstyles. They all wear their hair natural, some of them in cornrows and braids - but the police senior command said the style contravenes Section 7 of the Police Standing Orders.
So they were charged for willfully disobeying a lawful command - but 6 of them bonded together and vowed to fight the charges. They are ASP Irma Anderson, Sgt. Chrsitine Avila, Corporal Marva Grinage, WPC's Vanessa Kerr, Shantel Berry and Alleya Wade.
Today, the Senior Command sent out the highest ranking woman officer in the department to the weekly press brief to make it clear why the "dreadlocks 6" are wrong:...
ACP Deseree Magdaleno, Headquarters
"The standard orders said there must be no elaborate head decoration or extension. The bottom line is discipline is discipline. Discipline has been eroded too long in the department and he hairstyle is one of them. Women appearance is one of them and if we continue to let it erode then we will be a fallen department. We cannot afford for that to happen. In my 33 years of police service I have never ever put anything like that in my hair and that is no discrimination. The rules are there. Rules is rules. The style itself prevent the officers from wearing their head dress properly in the first place. It poses a security rsik for the officers and we cannot allow that to continue to happen."
Reporter
"We understand that some of these particular officers have retain the services of an attorney and that attorney has written to the police commissioner making the point that look you all say that this might be a personal risk to safety if it's down, but my clients they keep it up and neat as though it was any other female hairstyle. Do you have any response?"
ACP Deseree Magdaleno
"Yes, not all of them who have it up and even if you have it up, what you are looking at the standard orders says there should be no elaborate head decorations."
Reporter
"This could be interpreted as the department being prejudice against the rasta culture, given that dreadlocks is a part of that religion."
ACP Deseree Magdaleno
"This is in no way prejudice to any culture or religion or creed. It has to do with the rules and abiding by the rules."
Reporter
"The country's laws are based on the constitution and the constitution allows an individual the protection of the right of expression. These women can rightly say that their hairstyle is an expression protecting by the constitution."
ACP Deseree Magdaleno
"They can say that. Interpretation of the law is one thing and what you do is another thing. We have to bear in mind that when these officers joined the Belize Police Department, they did not join with this kind of hairstyle. If you are not satisfied with the terms and conditions of the rules then by all means, if you are talking about constitutional and freedom you have a right to leave. You can apply to leave."
Reporter
"Miss, we all know that dreadlocks is not a hairstyle that you can easily wash out. So you are saying that you guys want these women to shave their heads? Is that it?"
ACP Deseree Magdaleno
"We are not telling them what to do but take it out, is take it out. In the same light that it is not easy to take out, it was not easy to put in. And similarly we have to bear in mind that we are not running an animal farm here in the police department and if we open the doors to allow women to use dreadlocks then why shouldn't we allow the men. You tell me why. We will not try this matter here in the media by any means. This matter is before a disciplinary tribunal and it may well go to the courts and so we will not get into all those details, but I don't see it as any human rights matter."
Email
Print