South Wales Police Federation chair Phil Walker says he is ‘shocked but not surprised’ at the level of issues surrounding uniform and equipment.
Phil has backed calls by the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) for a minimum national standard for uniform.
It follows the publication of the first-ever National Uniform and Equipment Survey, which found police officers across England and Wales were frustrated with their uniforms.
Officers reported it was unfit for purpose, restrictive, and contributed to health issues.
Phil said: “We’ve known there are issues with officer kit and equipment and, for the first time, this report paints a comprehensive a picture of what they are, nationally and locally.
“Officers have to spend so long in their uniforms that I’m not surprised they are frustrated with aspects of it. However, I am shocked by the extent to which it is impacting on health, welfare, and wellbeing, and quite severely in some cases.
“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.
“It’s a key part of being a police officer and plays a critical role in their safety. It’s important we get it right.
“We need minimum national standards to ensure it is fit for purpose. And I’ll be sharing the survey findings with our Force to see how we can support it in improving uniform and equipment in the short term.”
The survey heard from 20,8383 respondents, of which 86 per cent were police officers and 14 per cent police staff, with 34 per cent female and 66 per cent male.
The majority of respondents (56%) in England and Wales reported their overall experience of wearing the police uniform as negative. The figure in South Wales Police was 64%, the tenth highest.
The study also found that 60 per cent of respondents in South Wales Police had reported at least one health issue believed to be caused or made worse by their uniform. This was in line with the national figure. Health issues could include musculoskeletal damage, crushed testicles, and crushed breasts, said researchers.
The National Uniform and Equipment Survey was led by Dr Camilla De Camargo and Dr Stephanie Wallace, from Lancaster University Law School, working in collaboration with Police Federation of England & Wales’s (PFEW) senior researcher Sahrish Khan, and the National Police Chiefs’ Council.
Dr De Camargo said: “We are shocked by the results but, unfortunately, not surprised – it is important to be able to highlight these issues on such a large scale.
“We hope this evidence can lead to impactful changes that improve the lives of uniform wearers every day.”
Almost seven out of 10 (69 per cent) of respondents reported negative experiences with cargo trousers. This was the most challenging item of clothing, PFEW said.
The report found that 61 per cent of officers in England and Wales say their body armour ‘worsened their uniform experience’. This was the second most problematic item of uniform.
PFEW’s headline recommendations to improve uniform and equipment included Phil’s call for the highest minimum national standards.
Their recommendations also included establishing a single point of accountability in the form of a Strategic Uniform Board, and to have continuous review and feedback.
PFEW National Board members Belinda Goodwin and Zac Mader, who have worked closely with the researchers, said: “The national survey findings are disquieting to the say the least.
“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, seven in 10 officers find their uniform restricts their movement thereby reducing their effectiveness, while more than five 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 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.”