Have your say on police uniform

18 July 2024

Northamptonshire Police Federation members are being encouraged to take part in a uniform survey.

The Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) has been working with researchers at Lancaster University to launch a National Police Uniform and Equipment Survey.

The survey aims to explore a range of issues, including whether the uniform is comfortable, whether it affects officers’ health and how it makes them feel.

Northamptonshire Police Federation branch chair Sam Dobbs said: “This is a really important piece of work to ensure that our uniform is comfortable, functional and fit for purpose.

“It’s a chance for members to highlight any issues so that they can be addressed and future decisions on uniform are fully informed.

“Our uniform is an important part of our identity as police officers, and it needs to be right. Please have your say and help shape uniform policy going forward.”

Influence

Federation branch secretary Charlotte Pateman added: “At a local level, I sit on the Force’s Uniform Advisory Group which meets regularly to ensure that we get the best, safest and most practical uniform. 

“Much of it is now nationally procured and so this survey can influence that national procurement.”

The survey is live now and closes on 12 August.   

It 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 called 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.

Quality

“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 would 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. “There isn’t one route to buying uniform, which means potentially different standards of uniform across the service.

Consistency

“We want consistency with police uniform, with the highest minimum standards and to get rid of the postcode lottery.

“We want 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.

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