Pagan police officers in some areas are being allowed to take as many as eight days leave a year for events such as the summer solstice and Halloween.
It comes after the Pagan Police Association was set up following discussions with Home Office officials.
Policy on police leave varies between forces in England and Wales.
Hertfordshire Police lets Pagan staff re-allocate the traditional bank holidays to meet their beliefs – it has also appointed two Pagan chaplains.
Pc Andy Pardy, a Pagan neighbourhood beat officer in Hemel Hempstead, Herts, was one of the officers involved in setting up the association.
He told Police Review: “Paganism is not the new age, tree-hugging fad that some people think it is.
“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 involve chanting, music and meditation. For Pagans, the practices are seen to have the same power as prayer does for Christians.”
Full story at BBC News
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