Uniform survey: time to have your say

15 July 2024

A new survey seeking officers’ views on police uniforms has been launched, and Derbyshire Police Federation members are being encouraged to have their say.

The Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) has launched a National Police Uniform and Equipment Survey in collaboration with researchers at Lancaster University.

Derbyshire branch secretary Kirsty Bunn said: “We know there are issues just in our own Force with uniform such as the fit and finish on female trousers.

“And then the difference in climate across the county means that what officers based in Derby need is likely to be different to those in the Peak District. Work has commenced on seeking views Force-wide on all things uniform related, but this survey forms part of a much bigger piece of work.

“This is the first time we’ve had a national survey looking into the issues around uniform and we’d encourage as many members as possible to complete it.

“The more members that do, the more complete the picture will be for future decision-making about uniform, design and usability.”

Opportunity

The survey has had input from the National Police Chiefs’ Council, the Police Superintendents’ Association, UNISON and the Home Office.

Zac Mader, the Federation’s Welsh co-lead, is leading on the project with fellow National Board member and PFEW wellbeing lead Belinda Goodwin.

Zac echoed Kirsty’s call for as many members as possible to complete the survey.

He said: “This is the first opportunity our members have had to tell us and the police service how they feel about their uniform.

“Every day, in every station there’s likely to be a conversation about uniform, whether it’s good, bad or indifferent. Our survey focuses on issues around uniform and interoperability with equipment and PPE.

“Is the uniform fit for purpose? How does it make people feel wearing it? Does it make you feel proud to be a police officer? This is a great opportunity for our members to have their say on what they think about their uniform and what they want from it, and we’d encourage as many as possible to complete it.

“We’ll use the results to give decision-makers evidence of what our members want so that meaningful changes are made to the uniform and uniform policies.”

Zac said he hoped the work would improve the quality of uniforms and even save forces money in the long run.

“It appears to be a postcode lottery at the moment,” he said.

Consistency

“There isn’t one route to buying uniform, which means potentially different standards of uniform across the service. We want consistency with police uniform, with the highest minimum standards and to get rid of the postcode lottery.

“We want a uniform that is environmentally friendly and that has been ethically sourced. And we believe that there are future opportunities with procurement of uniform and buying power."

The link to the survey has been sent to members’ inboxes. If you have any queries, please contact impactofuniform@gmail.com or the PFEW research team: researchanddatacollection@polfed.org