Uniform survey: time to have your say

29 July 2024

Is your uniform fit for the demands of modern policing? Is it comfortable? Has wearing police uniform and equipment ever affected your health?

Now is the time to make your voice heard.

The Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) has launched a survey to find out what officers feel about their uniform – and members in Suffolk are being encouraged to take part.

PFEW has been working with researchers at Lancaster University on the survey, which aims to explore a range of issues including whether the uniform is comfortable, whether it affects officers’ health to how it makes them feel.

Suffolk Police Federation secretary Ben Hudson said: “Uniformed officers can be wearing their uniform and kit for hours every day so it is vital that it’s comfortable, practical and fit for purpose.

Officer safety

“It’s a key part of being a police officer and plays a critical role in officer safety.

“The Federation is surveying members to get a complete picture of what issues there are with uniform and how they can be solved.

“The results will be shared with decision-makers to ensure that future decisions around uniform and equipment are fully informed, so it’s important officers share their views.”

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.

“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.

Fit for purpose

“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.

Postcode lottery

“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.

“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 at researchanddatacollection@polfed.org