Police officers buying own trousers due to ‘poor quality’ uniform
Police officers have had to buy their own trousers due to the “poor quality” of police uniforms, Scotland’s top cop has been told.
Concerns were raised at the Scottish Police Federation (SPF) conference and Police Scotland Chief Constable Iain Livingstone said action is being taken.
Question: "Recruits are turning up at the police college at Tulliallan in trousers they have bought themselves as they are of a better quality than the uniform trousers provided by the police authority. Are members of the panel embarassed by this?" #SPF19pic.twitter.com/lJpNaw8crG
— ScotsPolFed (@ScotsPolFed) March 27, 2019
SPF officer holder David Threadgold told the conference at Turnberry, Ayrshire: “There are officers that are turning up at Tulliallan (Police College) wearing trousers that they have bought themselves because the uniform provided is of such poor quality.
“That will extend across the country.”
He asked Mr Livingstone if he was “embarrassed by the state of our police equipment and uniform”.
Mr Livingstone replied: “The uniform in terms of the quality of the trousers, the quality of the operational vests, they haven’t been as good they should have been.”
He said he had recently approved a change to issuing “higher quality cargo pants”.