The latest look for the bobby on the beat

[NickLangley]

North Yorkshire have just introduced their new uniform.

Who on earth designed it? Who had the brilliant idea of attaching an epaulette to the sleeve of the shirt? Can anyone think of a worse uniform from any force around the world?

[Adrob]

Can you call that a 'Uniform !!! Just speechless !!

[Robin Lumsden]

There is a politically correct logic to all of this.

The more ludicrous they make the uniforms, the less respect the plebs will have for the polis.

Simples!

They'll have cops dressed up as Mickey Mouse next.

I say ............... bring back the skulls !!!

[Mervyn Mitton]

Let's hope it doesn't spread to other Forces. Imagine the Met. in this with all of the overseas visitors ?

[NickLangley]

Mervyn, this is the "new" national uniform as designed by an ACPO committee. All forces are adopting it. The Met will look even worse when this is teamed with their ill-fitting, high visibility potato sacks.

[Craig]

It's a difficult compromise. You need the tradition with the top hat etc but we carry taser, firearms, CS canisters torches. The uniform I wear is woefully inadequate for the job I do but the powers that be are more concerned with us wearing a crappy little Velcro patch with your name on it rather than supply us with say rip proff trousers. There should be a number 1 uniform and something fit for the 21st century but it won't happen so we do what we have always done and buy your own kit.

Craig

[peter monahan]

This seems to me another example of the trend in the last couple decades to design "uniforms" which don't really look like uniforms in the traditional sense at all, but like slighty odd civvie gear! Look at airline stewardesses these days: unless you see two rogether it isn't obvious that they are uniformed, just conservatively dressed. And even in groups, there are so many mix and match items - 3 blouses, two skirts, etc. - that you can get 5 or 6 before any two are dressed exactly the same.

The Girl Guides here in Canada went through this 20 years ago - hired a big name designer to do the new uniforms, of which there are several colours/ cuts for any given 'order of dress' and are only Gu"uniform" by virtue of using the same vblue & whiote colour scheme for all! two years ago or so they went even further and came out with uniforms based on what was 'in fashion' that years, meaning that they were wildly out of fashion before most girls had even purchased them!

My last school had 5 kinds of shirts and sweaters and 4 kinds of pants/shorts as well as the kilt. Again, several dozen possible combos. So much for uniform. And police forces seem to be buying into the prevailing logic of making their members look 'more normal/less uniform'. Bobbies in beards comes to mind! Bah! Humbug! And other cranky old fart comments! :banger:

[Oswald Bastable]

it looks like something worn by shop assistants in a large chain store, just have the words TK Max sewn on and your away :unsure:

[peter monahan]

Yer. I think Craig makes the best point. If it looked like c**p but had all the ripstop/anti-ballistic/stay-clean/waterproof & breathable qualities of the very best of modern speciality fabrics I'd grit my teeth and sau 'Go ahead, s**t can the tradition.", but I'll bet it doesn't!

[Megan]

Cheshire Police are wearing something similar already... they look more as if they are out jogging than on the beat.

[coldstream]

Although this is a national uniform Forces appear to be adapting the rules to suit. Surrey Police are now wearing short sleeve black polo shirts and black combat trousers with body armour and still retain the helmet when on foot. In my eyes they just dont go together I'm afraid :banger:

[leigh kitchen]

Cambridgeshire have been wearing similar garb for a year or two now, non - flame retardent boil in the bag shirts but the argument is that they're always worn under protective vests or other garments so they don't need to be retardent .

Cambs PCSOs wear blue shirts instead of black, apparently there was some argument put up by the PCSOs that they should wear black, presumably a reluctance to recognise the distinction between police officers and not police officers.

Cambs also adopted the wearing of names as well as numbers on shoulderstraps, presumably a reluctance to recognise the distinction between police officers and supermarket checkout staff.

But I won't get on my soap box again about that one again.

[NickLangley]

No major supermarket would ever clothe its staff so shoddily.

And as for having the officer's name on the epaulette it is just odd. If you are going to have a name tag it should be placed so it is easy to read: hardly rocket science.

[Polsa999]

So does this mean that they will actually be wearing headgear on their heads...cos if they dont I am not sure that in a disturbance anyone will recognise that police have arrived.....yes I know the headgear is the first thing to go in a punch up!! ;)

Edited April 26, 2012 by Polsa999

[Odulf]

The general idea is to make Police Officers look less offensive and cut on uniform cost; so NO uniform (with authoritive buttons), NO recognicion (like an impressive badge), NO sign of any authority (no handcuffs, truncheon, weapon, radio, teargas cannisters), and please NOT to radiate anything corrective or public authority business. In fact the helmet/head dress is an offence also, a bright coloured beany or baseball cap is better, or the best is no headdress at all! Police are there to serve, not to offend. Even the black dress as such is a fascist outrage to impose fear on the general public. I suggest an orange hat (diced band), with yellow shirts/jackets and pink trouwsers, and armed with a bright smile would do better.

Instead, arm Police Officers with lots of charism, whit, superb health, a bulletproof vest, and a black belt in karate.

By the way, was this the choice of the general public or just a ludicrous notion of police committees?