Police uniforms ‘unfit for purpose’ and cause health problems – new survey reveals
Police officers and staff in England and Wales are frustrated with their uniforms which they say, are unfit for purpose, restrictive and contribute to major health issues, a new survey has found.
More than 60% of men and 85% of women who responded to the survey reported a physical health condition they believed was caused by or made worse through wearing uniform.
The survey, carried out in 2024, includes 20,838 respondents.
46% of respondents from Greater Manchester Police reported that wearing police uniform was a negative experience.
48% of respondents from Greater Manchester Police reported at least one health issue believed to be caused or made worse by uniform.
The Police Federation said: “Our officers put their lives on the line day in and day out to provide the highest standards of service which the public rightly expects from them.
“Yet, 7 in 10 officers find their uniform restricts their movement thereby reducing their effectiveness, while more than 5 in 10 officers find their current body armour uncomfortable.
“These factors significantly heighten risk to officer safety and impact their ability to keep their communities safe.
“How can it be right that on one hand our employers (Chief Constables) and the Government are adopting modern technology and costly artificial intelligence assisted equipment such as drones, and on the other hand they refuse to invest in basic day-to-day equipment such as new age uniform and body armour for our officers and staff?
“We ardently appeal to our employers and the Government to wake up and take cognisance of the independent evidence obtained by this pioneering study to immediately devote resources to provide our officers with uniform that is fit for purpose and fit for all.”
UK Uniform Portfolio Lead for the National Police Chief’s Council Melissa Russhard said: “The findings can now inform our progress to eliminating the postcode lottery around uniform safety and standards and help us define and introduce the highest minimum standards for everyone.”
The research was led by Dr Camilla De Camargo and Dr Stephanie Wallace, from Lancaster University Law School, working in collaboration with the Police Federation of England & Wales’s (PFEW) Senior Researcher Sahrish Khan, and the National Police Chiefs’ Council.
