new thread
Hi,
Last year, I found an interesting new about rights/long haired men in Australia. Here is that new :
"July 28, 2003
Nod for long-haired police cheers the fuzz
AUSTRALIA (The Herald Sun) - Long hair is in for the policemen of Victoria - provided they wear it tied up in a bun.
The force's hair regulations have been made "gender non-specific" following a complaint from a country policeman. The officer believed he was being discriminated against by not being allowed to grow his hair as long as a woman.
A force spokesman confirmed yesterday that regulations covering hair, moustaches and beards no longer differentiated between men and women.
There is now nothing - except fashion and hormones - to stop a female officer growing a moustache or a beard as long as she conforms to rules spelled out in the Victoria Police manual.
At least one policeman at a country station has already taken advantage of the new hair regulations.
The Apollo Bay constable, in his 30s, has been tying his hair up in a bun while in uniform. He is interstate on leave and could not be contacted yesterday, but is expected to return to work with even longer hair.
The regulation change has become public less than three weeks after the Herald Sun revealed that a transsexual woman had applied to join the Victoria Police. That news created deeply divided feelings among police, and the prospect of long-haired men in uniform is likely to also upset "old-school" members of the force.
Many are still angry about the relaxation of dress rules, which now allow police to choose between uniform jackets, patrol jackets or pullovers, baseball-style caps or broad-brimmed hats rather than traditional caps and whether or not they wear a tie.
The change to hair regulations was introduced so quietly that some very senior officers were not aware of any policy adjustment when the Herald Sun began making inquiries last week.
Force spokesman Kevin Loomes said the amendment to the regulations was approved by the force's executive management group.
He said the decision to treat men and women equally was made late last year, but it was "fair to say it's not yet widely known". Males and females still have to keep long hair under their hat to comply with the regulations.
Police have to grow their beards while on leave and must have at least three weeks' growth before returning to duty."
Hi Lupus,
Very interesting article and since i am from Sydney, Australia i can relate to it very much. I was never aware of this relaxation of uniform, grooming and hair restrictions in the police force. I believe this occurance has only been effective in Victoria and other rural parts of Australia.
I was thinking of joining the ranks of the police force so i sent them an email a few months ago to seek clarification on their hair and beard policies. They replied , stating that men's hair canno't exceed the collar in length and that hair in a ponytail was no exception to their policies. A short, neat trimmed beard or mustache(typical sherriff look) was acceptable. Please note that this was a reply by the NSW police force and not Victoria so it seems that either different states have their own grooming policies or the reply was a blatant lie to repel me from joining the force(which it did quite clearly).
I think it is great that long hair is becoming accepted by the Police Force on the conditions that it is tied up in a bun. That is a very fair and reasonable compromise as the hair is restrained safely and hidden. A small victory won in anti-gender discrimination and equal rights. Society still has a long way to evolve before long hair on men becomes a social norm and widely accepted.
I would love to see the day that the image of a typical, short haired clean cut, conservative police officer is broken down and eroded.
Hi, 80s metal,
You are really likely to live in Australia !
Thirty years ago, I met a belgian who lived more than 30y in Australia. His wife asked him to go back to Belgium. He agreed but after a few years, here in Belgium, he committed suicide ...he was 55y old. He was a good man. He loved the way of life in Australia and was very unhappy here ...
Am I happy here ? Yes if I consider only my family, but no if I consider the belgian society. Too much people here are "narrow-mindedness". Our state is in decay because of "communities quarrels" (people in Nord Belgium speak dutch and havn't the same culture; people in South speak french and german in East)and also because of racketeering of several politicians.
Also we have too much unemployment in Wallonie (french part of Belgium), with more than 18%! South of Belgium becomes one of the poorest country in Europe !!!!!
I should like to immigrate, (I thought of Australia or Canada) but I'm soon 52y and it's not easy to start a new life elsewhere.
Lupulus.
Does Australia still offer 'assisted passage' for immigrants? Maybe you could get a job as a police officer in Victoria?
This HAS to be a good thing :)
I heard that NYPD did the same thing?
Being permitted to have long hair is certainly a step forward but the beard thing is so odd. I can understand the reason behind it being the police force wants their officers to look 'professional' by their standards either with a beard or shaven. I guess they don't consider a fake beard in the meantime as an option. Certainly there could be temporary work arounds like a desk job or putting them on loan to an undercover department where they could look 'scruffy' for duty.
Having the officer take three weeks of vacation at a time to get that beard into approved condition is a waste of resources. The men should not have to sacrifice their vacation timing to begin growing. I don't think the citizens served are so childlike that they don't know beards are grown anyway, let the policemen be real people that need time to grow without being hidden away.
I guess the fear is that while beginning growth some people might just think the officer is sloppy and has forgotten to shave. Some guys will fill in fast and not need three weeks to look intentional and others might look barely started in the same time period. My compromise would be to not put men on ceremonial duties like a funeral where appearance complaints would be more likely. Besides, if I need the help of the police I don't care what she or he looks like, I just want help.
Elizabeth
