Does your company have rules against certain types of body art on employees? After reading this story, some may argue that there are always exceptions to rules.
Craig Briggs had always wanted to be a police officer. He received advice that it would help him to join the military, so he did, and served with British forces in the Iraq war.
Now his tour of duty is over, and he’s applied to become an officer with the Greater Manchester Police.
But the Manchester Police rejected his application. Why? Because he has a tattoo of the word “England” on his arm between his elbow and wrist.
England is spelled on the underside of his arm in inch-high Gothic letters.
The recruitment department wrote, “Home Office policy precludes applications with tattoos on lower arm, hand, face or neck that are prominent, which may cause offense and/or invite provocation from the public or colleagues,” according to British newspaper The Sun.
So the ban isn’t against all tattoos, just those which may cause offense.
But the tattoo is the name of his country!
“I don’t understand how it can cause offense. It is our country, after all,” said Briggs.
Manchester’s senior recruitment consultant said a family not of English origin might see the England tattoo and feel the officer would discriminate against them.
Briggs says he was told one possibility was to get the tattoo altered so it didn’t say England anymore.
But it turns out this will be the police force’s loss: Briggs says he’s now looking into careers in the fire or prison service.
