NZ Police use Samoan officer to represent Sikh community in popular recruitment video

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Meeshika Sharma
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A  Sikh community leader says that New Zealand Police "violated tradition" when they featured a non-Sikh officer in a badly-wrapped turban in a popular recruitment video.

Constable Heber Gasu, who is of Samoan descent, was one of the stars of a  humorous police recruitment video released in November.Gasu sports a police-issue turban as he runs through a container yard – apparently on the hunt for a suspect.

Rajinder Singh, the secretary general of the Supreme Sikh Society of New Zealand, said he was concerned to see the incorrectly-tied turban.

Singh said, "It is actually violating tradition, the Sikh way of tying the turban.It just looks a bit funny, it's not proper way to do it . . . This is not right."

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He said he appreciated the inclusion of people of diverse ethnicities in the video, but wished a Sikh officer had been portrayed wearing the turban instead of Gasu. Police figures showed there were about 25 Sikh police officers working throughout New Zealand.

If police could not use a Sikh officer, they could at least have used a Sikh actor, Singh said.

" not a Sikh actor, no. You can easily see that, the features, the turban, even the way the face looks.

"If you had a Sikh actor, he would know how to tie the turban."

A police spokeswoman confirmed Gasu was not a practicing Sikh. However, he had a "close association" with the Sikh community and often wore a turban to "demonstrate his embracing of the Indian culture". He was also part of a police group that performed a Sikh cultural dance  at community events.

"There was no intention to cause offence by this constable appearing in the turban, but rather to show that we welcome all religions and backgrounds to NZ Police."

publive-imageConstable Mandeep Kaur, who is herself a Sikh, said Gasu had often worn the turban as a mark of respect for the Sikh community.

"I feel honoured that a non-Sikh officer wanted to wear turban for our recruitment video to showcase NZ Police as a place where diversity is accepted by your colleagues."

The spokeswoman said police had received one complaint regarding Gasu's appearance in the video, "and we have responded to that individual".

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