Headwear issued to male and female officers

Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.22.023045

I note you seek access to the following information:

1. Which of these hats may be issued to (a) male and/or (b) female officers in your force?
- Custodian Helmet
- Bowler Hat
- Flat Cap

2. Are any other gender-neutral headwear options also available?

3. May an officer request (or otherwise receive) more than one of these hats?

4. Is your force considering any policy changes to remove gender-specific headwear restrictions?

5. When were your force's headwear policies last reviewed?
i) Were any officers consulted about their personal headwear requirements and/or preferences at this time?
ii) When are they next due for review?

Please include any relevant policy documentation (e. g. uniform standards) if possible.

Decision

I have today decided to disclose the located information to you in full.

Please find below information pursuant to your request above.

Q1 - Which of these hats may be issued to (a) male and/or (b) female officers in your force?
- Custodian Helmet – issued to Male officers
- Bowler Hat – issued to Female officers
- Flat Cap – issued to male officers for use on mobile patrol only (in a vehicle)

Q2 - Are any other gender-neutral headwear options also available?

There are several baseball caps available that are used for specific roles/duties:
- Hi-Vis cap – for plain clothes deployment
- Blue cap - for Public Order deployment

Q3 - May an officer request (or otherwise receive) more than one of these hats?

Yes they can dependent on their specific circumstances/roles and this will be considered by their line manager. This is outlined in our dress code policy.

Q4 - Is your force considering any policy changes to remove gender-specific headwear restrictions?

We are currently working with the Home Office and other forces nationally to look at all policy around gender specific dress and other wider equality impacts.

Q5 - When were your force's headwear policies last reviewed?

The last review of the dress code policy took place in 2018/19, at this time there were no changes made to any headwear elements of the policy.

Q5i - Were any officers consulted about their personal headwear requirements and/or preferences at this time?

No however a survey has been carried out since with the Network of Women around the Bowler hat. This survey raised specific issues around the comfort of the hat and showed a split in options on the relevance of a gender specific option in policing today.

Q5ii - When are they next due for review?

As above this is will be looked at a part of both an internal MPS review and wider national work this year.

Please include any relevant policy documentation (e. g. uniform standards) if possible.

Dress Code Policy
Headwear must be worn in public, but you can remove it in vehicles and buildings if it’s safe to do so.

Peaked hats and caps must always be worn with the peak forward.

When on foot patrol, male constables and sergeants must wear the beat duty helmet, and women the bowler.

There may be operational circumstances, which mean that the wearing of police/police staff hats is not practical or appropriate. (This excludes religious headwear) This is a matter for supervisors to manage locally with their respective teams.

During exceptional periods of cold weather an MPS issued beanie hat can be worn, this will be at the discretion of the BCU/OCU Commander to authorise dependant on the policing situation. It is not envisaged that MPS beanie hats be worn for routine patrol rather their use can be authorised for exceptional weather or for a specific duty (such as a 12 hour scene guard in inclement weather). They cannot be used for public order or other aid without the explicit permission of the public order commander.

Security staff must wear their headwear when on patrol outside buildings or when controlling access to buildings.

Navy baseball caps must only be worn by authorised firearms and public order officers.

Bump caps are issued only when the risk assessment dictates it - they are not part of the standard uniform. Navy bump caps are worn by police officers and blue bump caps are worn by police staff when conducting a search.

Yellow baseball caps with police markings must only be issued to plain-clothes police officers on proactive plain-clothes work. This is to make their identity known quickly to other police colleagues. They do not denote authority of police powers, and are not a replacement for proper ID or a search warrant. If you lose your yellow baseball cap, you must report it to your line manager immediately.