Police decision to dump trendy baseball caps is welcomed by public

2022-08-24

‘Just need to see the old bobbies’ helmet return now!’: Police decision to dump trendy baseball caps and return to traditional flat hats and bowlers gets a welcome from the public

Lancashire Police force is scrapping its gender-neutral US-style baseball hats
Instead the force is spending £40,000 on new headgear for men and women
Female officers will wear bowler hats and male officers will wear white flat caps

A police force has been praised for its ‘fantastic decision’ to bring back traditional headwear – just six years after switching to ‘more practical’ US-style baseball caps.

Lancashire Police announced the U-turn on social media, saying it would be ditching the gender-neutral headgear for all its officers, before re-introducing bowler hats for females and white flat caps for males.

The move was welcomed by many on social media, as one suggested: ‘Just need to see the custodians return now’, referring to the traditional police officer’s helmet.

A former police officer who used to wear the old hats also applauded the move, adding: ‘It still annoys me when I see officers not wearing hats. It really does make a difference in how the public react to you.’

Another said: ‘Fantastic decision, look the part be the part… the new hats will tie them in to Lancashire and the Crown. Definitely the right call.’

Police and Crime Commissioner Andrew Snowden said: ‘This change is about reinforcing the figures of authority police officers should be in our communities.’

Lancashire Police is scrapping the US-style, gender-neutral baseball caps (pictured) in favour of traditional headwear, including bowler hats for female officers and flat caps for male officers

It comes just six years after the force spent thousands bringing in caps which it hailed as ‘more practical’.

Chief Constable Chris Rowley revealed the caps were loathed by many officers: ‘This issue has been raised with me consistently for more than a year by officers who don’t like wearing the baseball caps, and I’ve always felt that traditional headgear is smarter and presents a more professional appearance to the public.

‘I make it clear to my staff – both new recruits and those officers with more service – that I have high standards. I expect them to be smart when on duty, and I expect them to deliver a high quality of service to our communities.’

But some Twitter users branded the move a ‘waste of money’, while questioning how practical the more traditional headwear would be.

‘We need the police to be able to do their job effectively, not look good,’ one wrote, before another suggested the cash be spent on ‘better first aid kits in response vehicles’.

‘Ridiculous,’ another said, ‘A decision made based on someone trying to hold on to the past. No data to support how this is going to gain any advantage in the fighting of crime.’

Traditional flat caps will be issued to all male officers, with female officers given the option of wearing bowler hats which will include Lancashire Constabulary insignia.

Many of the officers who retained their old headwear have already started wearing them on the streets.

The force is just the latest to axe baseball caps which have been likened to a ‘Burger King’ uniform by some critics who complained they made officers ‘look like Jimmy Krankie’.

Northamptonshire Police paid more than £23,000 to introduce baseball caps after research suggested the new headwear would eradicate the issue of transgender officers having to decide between custodian helmets for males and bowler hats for females.

But two years later, Chief Constable Nick Adderley said they did not ‘not portray the right image’.

The announcement by Lancashire Police has not pleased everyone though.

Blackburn with Darwen Council leader Phil Riley told his local paper: ‘It seems an odd thing to do.

‘I don’t see how it will help with the priorities that public have for policing.

‘It seems an odd way to spend £40,000. There must be better ways of spending it.’

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