HAVING completed 30 years with Strathclyde Police in various ranks and positions, I retired in 2010. Since then, I have become more and more dismayed and disillusioned by the fact that policing has changed beyond recognition in the structure and overall focus of the "service" which has now become, regardless of what some seniors officers may say, a results-based organisation as opposed to working to provide a quality service to the public. Along with the change in focus has come a dramatic shift in the ability of front-line officers to provide the type of quality service they would like to provide the public. This, in my opinion, has caused a shift in attitude of many of these officers, starting with how they present themselves to the public.
A few months ago I had occasion to witness two police officers walking round my local supermarket without their hats on, each with a basket in hand, doing their shopping whilst on duty. They then got their shopping and toddled off to their police vehicle with their shopping bags. This may seem a very trivial thing to many, but I come from an era of policing where it was drummed into us that the hat was a very important part of your uniform and should be worn at all times when walking in uniform in a public area. We simply would never have considered leaving the police vehicle without first putting our hats in. If not, especially with the current style of uniform cargo pants and body vests, you could be mistaken for a security guard or a council/ roads worker and not a highly trained representative of the police service. This would be especially important in a crowded environment.
In my opinion, the first impression presented at an incident is important and in order to gain control, the hat can give that initial air of authority and professionalism, which I fear is sadly lacking in many of our current front line officers.
Daily, I now see police officers in public areas with their hands tucked up inside their protective vest, minus a hat. Not a good style to portray from a professional standpoint.
In their defence however, whilst all other aspects of the uniform has changed, the hat has not, and is now out of step with modern uniform. Consideration to health and safety should be given by providing a hat designed to offer protection to ensure that every officer would wear the hat from a safety angle. They would not go in patrol without the protective vest, so let’s make the hat the same. In the meantime, let’s get the hat back to where it should be ... on their heads.
Daniel Dyer,
Flat 9, 64 Falside Road, Paisley.
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