On 10 May 2010, Pagan Police officers in the United Kingdom won the right to take Pagan festivals as part of recognised holiday. Yesterday the Home office, granted official recognition to the Pagan Police Association (PPA) as a 'diversity staff support association' — in effect an endorsement meaning that chief constables could not refuse a pagan police officier’s request to take feast days as part of annual leave.
Officers can now apply for leave on any of the eight pagan festival dates they deem relevant, in return for working on other dates such as Christmas which hold no significance to them.
The PPA, made up of three official police chaplains and around 500 Pagan PCs, welcomed the news. PC Andrew Pardy, its vice-chairman said:
'The Police Service needs to embrace paganism in order to represent communities effectively.
'All activities undertaken by the association support and reinforce the vision and values of the Police Service, while upholding the Home Office standards for equality and diversity,' he added.
However, there is concern within policing circles and among some politicians at the ever widening scope of diversity regulations, leading to a plethora of organisations based on religion, gender and sexual orientation which appear to emphasise division.
Andy Hayman, former Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner, said:
'No one would want to deprive any officer from being able to follow their religious belief — but what is difficult to understand is why representative groups have been springing up at such an alarming rate.'
David Davies, Conservative MP for Monmouth who also serves as a special constable with the British Transport Police, said:
'It sounds like some kind of prank to me but as long as they receive no funding, then they can do what they want. However, I am concerned at the plethora of police organisations set up to support different ethnic groups and religions.'
Mark Wallace, of the think tank Taxpayers’ Alliance, said he was astonished that the Home Office had time to consider the application from the Pagan Police.
'Taxpayers don’t want the police obsessing about what divides them, they want them to be a united force protecting the public.'
Andrea Minichiello Williams, Director of CCFON, said: 'These concerns will no doubt reflect the view among many Christians that the PPA’s equal status is just another example in a long list of ‘diversity’ rules coming at the expense and marginalisation of Christianity.'