Police Uniform - Headwear Options
Keywords
Transgender; Non-binary; Binary; Male; Female; PCSO; Constables; Flat Caps; Custodians; Bowlers; Firearms; Baseball Caps; Taser; Dog Handlers; Search; Inspectors; NATO; PSU; Formal; Parade; Court.
Publication Number
PUB 1426
FOI Reference Number
16301
Request Title
Police Uniform - Headwear Options
Date Range
2021 - 2022
Information Requested
1. Which of the following headwear items *may* be issued to male, female and non-binary constables/sergeants in your force?
- Custodian Helmet
- Bowler Hat
- Flat Cap
- Bump Cap
2. Of these headwear items, which are issued to whom as standard?
3. Are any of these headwear items ever issued for specific duties?
(I.e.: custodian helmets issued to non-male officers for public order duties, etc.)
4. Are officers permitted to request other headwear items after initial uniform fitting?
5. When was your force's uniform policy last reviewed?
5a. Were any constables or sergeants consulted about their uniform requirements during this review?
5b. When is it next due for review?
Disclosure with Exemptions
Full Disclosure
Information Correct as at
October 2021
Date of Disclosure
14/06/2022
Related Documents/Links
C3022 Procedure - Standards of Appearance – due for review 22/09/2022
C3022 Procedure - Standards of Appearance | Essex Police
X2001 Provision of Uniform and Equipment
X2001 Procedure - Provision of Uniform and Equipment | Essex Police
FOI 16301 Response
In respect of Question 1 of your request, Essex Police do not hold data or information to identify non-binary Officers or Staff.
In respect of Question 4, Essex Police do not hold and are not able to report what takes place in or following a uniform fitting.
Caveat: The statements are correct as at October 2021:
Question 1, 2 & 3: Essex Police employees are invited to take up the following headwear, Transgender Officers are provided with the option of either male or female headwear:
Police Community Support Officers Flat Caps (M) and Bowlers (F)
Constables (on initial training) Flat Caps, Custodians (M) and Bowler (F)
Constables (patrol/neighbourhood/response) Flat Caps, Custodians (M) and Bowler (F)
Constables (roads policing) Flat Caps, Custodians (M) and Bowler (F)
Constables (Formal occasions – parades, court etc) Custodians (M) Bowlers (F) for Parades.
Firearms officers Baseball Cap
Taser officers Flat Caps (M) and Bowlers (F)
Dog handlers Baseball Cap
Search officers Baseball Cap
PSU Level 3 officers – Operational policing teams to select
PSU Level 2 officers (when not using a NATO helmet) Baseball Cap
PSU Level 1 officers (if you have them in your force, when not using a NATO helmet) Operational policing teams to select
Senior officers (Inspectors and above) Flat Caps (M) and Bowlers (F)
Any other officers/staff/specialist roles supplied with headwear (other than NATO helmet) DCs assigned to AFO roles
Question 5: The following procedures have been developed by Essex Police, a full consultation listing is included under Section 6.0, which includes police officers of different ranks and police staff of different grades.
C3022 Procedure - Standards of Appearance – due for review 22/09/2022
C3022 Procedure - Standards of Appearance | Essex Police
X2001 Provision of Uniform and Equipment
X2001 Procedure - Provision of Uniform and Equipment | Essex Police
All policies and procedures are routinely reviewed and revised / updated, according to the needs and demands of the subject. They are published as soon as is practicable in all circumstances.
Every effort is made to ensure that the data provided by Essex Police is accurate and complete. However, Essex Police systems are designed primarily for the management of individual cases and not for the purposes of providing data to answer specific FOI enquiries. Please note although data can be extracted from a number of sources via database queries, the results may be subject to inaccuracies. Care should be taken to understand our return when considering the interpretation or further use of the data.