DHAKA, Aug 24, 2009 (AFP) - Bangladeshi police officers will hit the streets a little smarter and more confident after a beautician was called in to give grooming tips to new recruits.

Kaniz Almas Khan, who owns beauty parlours in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka and in Thailand, was asked by police chiefs to give lessons to 140 new recruits at an academy in the northwest of the country, she said on Monday 24 August.

"I was surprised to be asked but it's great that people are becoming more conscious about their appearance," she said.

"Male officers were just as keen as female officers, if not more, on looking good. They wanted advice on everything from colours they should be wearing to the type of perfume that would suit them."

The chief of the Sharda Police Academy in northwest Bangladesh, Mazharul Haque, said the project would boost officers' confidence as well as improve their appearance.

"This is the first time in the academy's history we have invited a top beautician to offer us lessons on grooming and presentation. It's very important for a police officer how he presents himself to the people," he said.

"These people will be the future police chiefs of our country."