Three hijabs have been issued to police officers in Scotland since they became part of their official uniform, BBC Scotland has learned.
Police Scotland confirmed in September that women from Muslim communities would be allowed to wear the religious headwear as part of their uniform.
The force told BBC Scotland it was unable to confirm how many officers were now wearing the hijab.
But they said three have been issued from their stock of six.
The information emerged in response to a Freedom of Information request to Police Scotland.
Officers and police staff always had the option to wear religious headwear but September’s announcement ratified the use of the hijab.
It was part of an attempt to encourage Muslim women to consider pursing a career in the force.
Reflect society
At the time, there were six Muslim women working as police officers but none of them wore the hijab either on duty or outwith the force.
Chief constable Phil Gormley said the police force was working towards becoming more representative of the community it served.
The move was welcomed by the Scottish Police Muslim Association.
Its then-chairman, Faha Bashir, said there was “no doubt” it would encourage more women from Muslim and minority ethnic backgrounds to join Police Scotland.
Official figures showed that there were 127 applications from black, Asian and ethnic minority candidates in 2015-16. That was just 2.6% of the total number applying to work for the force.
In order to reflect the 4% figure across Scottish society, the force said it would need to recruit an additional 650 ethnic minority candidates.