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A PAGAN police constable has won the right to take holidays on Halloween and the summer solstice in a move designed to encourage greater diversity within forces.
Andy Pardy, of Hertfordshire Police, who is now pressing the Home Office to approve the creation of a Pagan Police Association, is being allowed to take a total of eight pagan holidays a year instead of the traditional public holidays.
The concession, which is likely to prompt concern from some critics as well as amusement among others, is intended to allow him to pursue his beliefs and has been defended by police chiefs in his local area as a sensible measure that will have no impact upon operational policing.
Pc Pardy, who has been an officer for seven years and worships Norse gods, including hammer-wielding Thor, the one-eyed Odin and the god of fertility Freyr, today praised his force for recognising his beliefs and insisted that they were neither bizarre nor dangerous.
"Paganism is not the new age, tree-hugging fad that some people think it is," he told Police Review magazine.
"It is not the clandestine, horrible, evil thing that people think it is. A lot of people think it is about dancing naked around a fire. But the rituals are not like that.
"It involves chanting, music, meditation, reading passages and for pagans the practices are seen to have the same power as prayer does for Christians."
He added: "It has been practised in this country since before the concept of God arrived here.
"It is all about dedication to nature. Most pagans practise some kind of conservation work as well, to give something back to the planet."
PC Pardy, who is also an equality and diversity representative for the force, said he now hoped to set up a Pagan Police Association to "provide support and guidance" to pagan police officers who want to fit their beliefs around their police work.
Hertfordshire Constabulary allows PC Pardy the eight pagan holidays off each year, including Halloween - which signifies the pagan new year - and the summer solstice.
The days are deducted from his annual leave, but because of his religion these days off are fixed.
There were 30,500 people practising Paganism in England and Wales in 2001, according to the Office of National Statistics. Last year the Home Office introduced the Pagan oath for use in the courts.
It is not known how many pagan police officers and staff there are in Britain.
Reader views (20)
i think this is fantastic. bloody christians have bene having days off for sunday worship for years. and as for paganism being a newage modern religion. what crap!! it is older than any. we were driven underground when the christians persecuted and murdered us. only to resurface when the time was safe enough to do so. this will have no impact whatsoever on the taxpayer or on crime rates. they are simply taking their allowed days off to worship the true religion. stop being so racist i thought it was illegal to preach hatered????? well it seems that everyone who knows nothing about pagans but a lot about not much seems to be slating it.
good on you police for finally joining the modern era and recognisising anything other than christainity and islam.
- Arwen, derbyshire, england
Glad for the Religious Freedom,
It was time, in the USA for instance there is already an association for Pagan Police Force, called Officers of Avalon
- Antonella, London UK
I am glad to hear that Police in the UK who are Pagan are able to have off Pagan holidays, also known as Sabbats. Having Pagan holidays off makes it possible for them to more fully take part in personal, household, and community ceremonies and celebrations of the beginnings (Solstices & Equinoxes) and midpoints (Cross Quarters) of each season.
- Rev. Selena Fox, Oak Forest, near Barneveld, Wisconsin, USA
Christianity came to these shores and STOLE PAGANS ideas and festivals and killed and bullied their way into controlling power, Islam came along 400 to 500 years after Christianity and STOLE CHRISTIANS ideas and festivals and killed and bullied their way into their controlling power, the main brainwashing religious types will do any thing to hold onto their power base MB from London is right but Islam is the fastest growing religion because, family members will not be allowed to opt out, they must marry as young as possible and then have many children as quick as possible, and if a muslim marries a non muslim THEY HAVE to convert to Islam, so Islam will be the biggest not because it is right is more spiritual, IT IS PURELY because of the stringent, unflexible and insular rules of their club, bring on the age of Aquarius
- Sarah Ackland-Snow, Sevenoaks Surrey
what about a day off for St George's day which we have been waiting for years ????
absolute joke !
- Philippe Le Peutrec, London
Thor, why do you consider the United Kingdom to be a Christian country when the percentage of practising Christians is low? For pracising religions, we are probably closer to being a Muslim Country. However in reality we are an Aetheist country.
- Mb, London
As a member of the church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster and devout Pastafarian I shall forthwith be demanding days off to celebrate the birthdays of our patron pirates.
- Bob, Cheam
There should be no special police groups based on religious or quasi-religious beliefs. Those serving officers who confuse their duties to the public with their own private activities, should leave the force(s) or be forced to leave. The institutions of state, police and education, should be totally secular. This country really is a twisted joke, isn't it.
- Steven Davidson, Colchester, England
Brilliant and why not, they should also recognise spiritualism, Derek Acorah and the like would be most pleased, the 3 main dogmatic religions do not have a monopoly on free thinking people, they will all realise in the end that Native American Indians and Budhists have it right spiritually, meanwhile they will carry on preaching with their eyes and ears closed and their big mouths open...priceless
- Sean O'Leary, Walthamstow England
What a complete joke, Christian country therefore Christian rules should apply to all. The world has gone mad. Disgusted.
- Thor, Hillside, Green Field
"Paganism is just another modern religion, like global warming, diversity, secularism and penguinism.
Jamal Akhbar, Edinburgh"
Paganism predates Christainity, and therefore Islam.
It is anything but a "modern religion"
Rogan, you are right, of course. However, that is no reason not to grant Pagan Police officers their wish, unless you are going to apply the same standards to everyone.
As you imply, this will ultimately lead to the exposure of the obssession with diversity and multiculturism as the farce that it is.
All organisations, especially those that are publicly funded, should operate by a simple set of common sense rules. The first one should be the simplest; if the rulse don't suit you, don't join!
- Keith Lonsdale, Doncaster
I am waiting for the Jedi Police Officer Association. According to the last census, there were more Jedis than pagans.
- Ces, london
Paganism is just another modern religion, like global warming, diversity, secularism and penguinism.
- Jamal Akhbar, Edinburgh
So Nowan King can discriminate against a person who believes that being a Pagan is the original religious belief in Britain.
Got it in one William. I'm an aetheist and totally abhor religion of all kinds, espacially the Catholic church. If they want to make a big deal of their religion, damn right I would if I could!
- Nowan King, London
So Nowan King can discriminate against a person who believes that being a Pagan is the original religious belief in Britain. If was a member of the new religion i.e. Islam he would be protected by law.
"The enjoyment of any right set forth by law shall be secured without discrimination on any ground such as sex, race, colour, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, association with a national minority, property, birth or other status".
- William, London UK
I think it is a shame he has to use up his annual leave in this way, but there we are. I can't see anything wrong about it, worshipping Thor, nature, Mother Earth, the Sun and/or the moon is no different from worshipping Jesus, Mohammed or any other deity. There's more proof to suggest deities don't exist these days in any case and it is shocking that people still die and cause so much trouble in their name in the 21st Century. As for a Pagan police Association - again why not, there's an association for every other kind of religious, racial, cultural, gender and sexual grouping in todays modern service - they're all barking!
- Ranter, Maidstone, UK
The more exceptions you put into life, the more complex it becomes. I don't care what anyone's religious beliefs are - you can only play out "diversity" so far before it bogs everything down. Practicality has to come into the picture somewhere along the line.
- Rogan, Irving
Paganism is the oldest religion indeigenous to these islands.
It is only right that an organisation that bends over backwards to accommodate imported culture, ethnic minorities and homosexuals, giving all of these groups rights to membership of organisations whose membership criteria that would be illegal if practised by the majority, should give recognition to practising Pagans.
There will be those who will be quick to condemn this move, associating Paganism with the occult and devil-worship.
I suggest that those so inclined engage in some research on the matter, before making fools of themselves by airing their ignorance.
Paganism is part of our heriatge and culture, it has even shaped the face of Christianity most commonly followed here, with many Pagan festivals and symbols being incorporated.
- Keith Lonsdale, Doncaster
I guess PC Andy Pandy would also be exempt from arrest if he was caught dancing naked in public parks then?
- Nowan King, London
Where are the pagan bashing comments?
Aw come on really
Yesterday with the story of racial discrimination there were the usual comments of thinly veiled racism
And now ....?
Nothing about costing the taxpayers ?
I am disappointed
Romanticism=return to traditional racism
- Mr Misions, Londinum
