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{{Lead section|date=May 2007}}
==Uniform==
[[Image:Hampshire helmet constable.jpg|thumb|right|A Hampshire Constabulary custodian ("bobby") helmet]]
[[Image:Edinburgh G8 police group DSC05042.JPG|thumb|right|Police officers in white shirt and helmets]]
[[Image:Police.three.on.patrol.london.arp.jpg|thumb|right|Metropolitan Police officers wearing hi-visibility jackets]]
Although there are minor variations in the styling, pattern and [[insignia]], the police forces of [[Great Britain]], [[Jersey]], [[Guernsey]], the [[Isle of Man]] and [[Gibraltar]] all wear very similar [[uniform]]s. In general, these have taken their lead from the [[Metropolitan Police]], with changes appearing in that force first. The base colour is a very dark blue, almost indistinguishable from black (and these days often actually is black), which earnt the police the nickname of the "boys in blue".
Formal uniform comprises an open-necked [[tunic]] (with or without an attached [[belt (clothing)|belt]], depending on the force) and [[trousers]] or [[skirt]], worn with a white or light blue [[shirt]] and black [[necktie|tie]] (usually [[Clip-on tie|clip-on]], so it cannot be used to strangle the wearer). Although most forces once wore blue shirts, these have been less used since the [[1980s]] (when the Metropolitan Police changed to white) and most now wear white. Officers of the rank of [[inspector]] and above have always worn white shirts, and in many forces so have female officers. In some forces, female officers wear a black and white checked [[cravat]] instead of a tie. Officers of the rank of [[Sergeant]] and above wear rank badges on their epaulettes, while [[Constables]] and Sergeants also wear "[[collar number]]s" on them.
Until the mid 1990s this was also the everyday working uniform, but today it is rarely seen except on formal occasions. The normal working dress retains the shirt (open-necked or with a tie or cravat) and trousers, worn with or without a [[jersey (clothing)|jersey]] or [[fleece (clothing)|fleece]]. Some forces use [[combat trousers]] and [[combat boot|boots]]. Today, female officers almost never wear a skirt in working dress, and frequently wear trousers in formal dress as well. Officers also frequently wear reflective waterproof [[jacket]]s, which have replaced the old [[overcoat|greatcoat]]s and [[cloak]]s traditionally worn in inclement weather. Most officers now wear [[body armour]] when on duty.
Basic headgear is a [[Combination Cap|peaked cap]] for men, and a round [[bowler hat|bowler]] style hat for women. All officers wear a black and white (red and white for the [[City of London Police]]) diced band around the hat, a distinction first used in Scotland and later adopted by all forces in Great Britain. Traffic officers wear white cap covers (yellow in Derbyshire). On foot duty, male constables and sergeants outside [[Scotland]] wear the familiar conical [[custodian helmet]]. There are several patterns, with different forces wearing different types. Although some Scottish forces have used helmets in the past, they are no longer worn in Scotland.
Officers of the [[Police Service of Northern Ireland]] (PSNI) wear a uniform which is somewhat different, due to the political situation. The main colour to be found is a dark and light green with the uniform looking very unlike mainland police uniforms.
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The first uniform, which was a lighter blue than at present, was a high-collared [[tailcoat]], worn with white trousers in summer. The headgear was a hardened [[top hat]], which served the dual purpose of protecting the officer from blows to the head and allowing him to use it as a step to climb or see over walls. The sleeves of the dark blue coats originally had a pattern of white bars, roughly 6 mm wide by 50 mm high, set roughly 6 mm apart. This immediately distinguished them from naval or maritime personnel. Although this feature was taken up in the [[Dominion]]s, it was not used in the USA.
The tailcoat was later replaced by a tunic, still high-collared, and the top hat by the [[custodian helmet]] (both adopted by the Metropolitan Police in 1863). With a few exceptions (including the [[City of London Police]] and the [[Hampshire Constabulary]]), the helmet plate was (and still is) based on the [[Brunswick star]]. The helmet itself was of cork faced with fabric. The design varied slightly between forces. Some had that favoured by the Metropolitan Police, topped with a boss, others had a helmet that incorporated a ridge or crest terminating above the badge, while others had a short spike, sometimes topped with a ball.
The tunic went through many lengths and styles, with the Metropolitan Police adopting the open-neck style in 1948 (although senior and female officers adopted it before that time). Senior officers used to wear peaked pillbox-style caps until the adoption of the wider peaked cap worn today.
Female officers' uniforms have gone through a great variety of styles, as they have tended to reflect the women's fashions of the time. Tunic style, skirt length and headgear have varied by period and force. By the late 1980s, female working uniform was virtually identical to male, except for headgear and sometimes neckwear.
==Personal radios==
In 2004, British police forces began the roll-out of a digital [[TETRA]] (Terrestrial Trunked Radio) system for communications, called [[Airwave (communications network)|Airwave]]. The Airwave system replaced the previous Motorola radio handsets and [[two-way radio]]s with a mobile phone-like device, which is supposed to improve radio coverage, is encrypted to prevent interception, and allows data as well as voice transmission. The roll-out is due for complete coverage of all UK police forces and other emergency services by the end of 2007.
Personal radio systems were first issued to police officers and installed in police cars in the 1960s (resulting in the demise of the "[[police box]]" telephones made famous by ''[[Doctor Who]]''). From the 1990s, officers frequently carried [[mobile phone]]s in addition to their personal radio units.
==Firearms and weapons==<!-- This section is linked from [[The Adventures of Tintin]] -->
In the [[United Kingdom]] and some other countries of the [[Policing in the United Kingdom|British police]] tradition, the police are not normally issued firearms, but are issued other weapons ([[Club (weapon)#Telescopic batons|batons]], [[pepper spray]], [[CS spray]] etc.), although some officers may be issued firearms in special situations. This originates from the formation of the [[Metropolitan Police]] in the [[19th Century]], when police were not armed, partly to counter public fears and objections concerning armed enforcers. However, the [[Ministry of Defence Police]], [[Civil Nuclear Constabulary]] and [[Police Service of Northern Ireland]] (formerly the [[Royal Ulster Constabulary]]) are issued firearms as a matter of routine. Every force can also call upon armed response units in a matter of minutes, and certain specialist squads, such as the [[Flying Squad]], [[Special Branch]], [[Diplomatic Protection Group]], Royalty Protection Branch, and officers protecting airports and government buildings, are routinely armed.
The weapons carried routinely by ordinary police constables are currently an extending [[Club (weapon)|baton]] and, in all but two county police services, personal issue [[Riot control agent|incapacitant spray]], such as CS (a chemical incapacitant) or CapTor (a natural incapacitant based on extracts from [[Capsicum]] peppers. The effects of sprays are designed to be short-lived, subsiding within 30-60 minutes and clearing more quickly in well-ventilated areas.
The use of batons varies across the country and each force selects which baton is best able to fulfil its needs and provide the best protection to officers. Friction lock batons such as the [http://www.asp-net.com/ ASP] are popular, although the PR-24 [[Monadnock]] extendable baton (sometimes known as the side-handled baton) or the Monadnock Straight Lock baton is used in some forces. Some forces use a one piece "Arnold" baton, although they are relatively rare except in forces in the North of England.
===Use of firearms===
[[Image:Police armed uk.jpg|thumb|right|Firearms officers wearing body armour]]
Unlike the police in most other countries, most officers in the British police are not routinely armed, except in [[Northern Ireland]], at [[airport]]s, [[nuclear power plant|nuclear facilities]], and on some protection duties. However every territorial police force has an armed contingent of officers patrolling able to support unarmed colleagues when required. The arming of the police is a perennial topic of debate.
Officers on night patrols in some [[London]] divisions were frequently armed with [[Webley and Scott|Webley]] [[revolver]]s (and, after the [[Sidney Street Siege|Battle of Stepney]], Webley [[semi-automatic self-loading pistol|semi-automatics]]) for over 50 years following the [[murder]] of two officers in [[1884]], though individual officers were able to choose whether to carry the weapons. The practice ended in July [[1936]], after which arms could be issued by a sergeant if there was a ''good reason'', and if the officer had been trained.
The issue of routine arming was next raised after the [[1952]] [[Derek Bentley]] case, and again after the 1966 murder of three officers in London ([[Massacre of Braybrook Street]]), following which around 17% of officers in London were authorised to carry firearms. After the deaths of a number of members of the public in the [[1980s]], control was considerably tightened, many officers had their firearm authorisation revoked, and training for the remainder was greatly improved and later extended to include some training from the [[Special Air Service|SAS]].{{Fact|date=February 2007}} Currently around seven per cent of officers in London are trained in the use of firearms. Firearms are also only issued to an officer under strict guidelines <ref>[http://www.acpo.police.uk/asp/policies/Data/firearms.pdf ACPO firearms policy]</ref> See [[Specialist Firearms Command|CO19]] (Metropolitan Police Firearms Unit).
In order to allow armed officers to rapidly attend an incident most forces have patrolling [[Armed Response Vehicle]]s (ARVs). ARVs were modelled on the Instant Response Cars introduced by the [[West Yorkshire Police]] in [[1976]], and were first introduced in London in [[1991]], when 132 armed deployments were made. Today [[CO19]] and the [[Diplomatic Protection Group]] provide London with ARVs with officers having weapons permanently holstered on their person to allow rapid deployment.
Although largely attributable to a significant increase{{fact|June 2007}} in the use of imitation firearms and air weapons, the overall increase in firearms crime between 1998/99 and 2002/03{{fact|June 2007}} (it has been decreasing since 2003/04, although use of imitations continued to rise){{fact|June 2007}} has kept this issue in the spotlight. For the first time since 1936, the routine carrying of firearms on normal police patrols was re-introduced in [[Nottingham]] in February [[2000]], in response to a number of gang related shootings on the St Ann's and Meadows estates. Despite this, [[Police Federation of England and Wales|Police Federation]] surveys have continued to show overwhelming police officer resistance to routine arming. In the Federation's most recent (2006) Officer/Arming survey, 82% of respondents were against the routine arming of police.<ref>[http://www.polfed.org/WhereWeStand_Firearms_and_the_policeAWAITING_INFO230506.pdf Police Federation Survey]</ref>
As of September [[2004]], all forces in England and Wales also have the [[Taser]] available, but it may only be used by Firearms Officers, although there have been growing calls quietly from within the ranks and the public for all officers to be routinely armed with a [[Taser]]. The [[Police Federation]] have already called for this and is a firm position held by it. <ref>[http://www.polfed.org/we_stand_F0AE5868581B4E239F2FEDFC4D976359.asp Police Federation]</ref>
<small>''For more on firearm use by British police, see the [[Policing in the United Kingdom#Controversial shootings|controversial shootings section]] of the main [[Policing in the United Kingdom]] article.''</small>
[[Image:PolicingAnimalRightsDemonstrationOxford20050129 CopyrightKaihsuTai.JPG|thumb|right|250px|[[Thames Valley Police]] policing an animal rights demonstration in Oxford]]
==Police vehicles==
{{main|Police Car}}
The archetypal British "bobby" walked his beat alone. Apart from rapid response units, motor vehicles were rarely used except in rural districts (and even there, [[bicycle]]s were more common). However, following the 1964 [[Police Act 1964|Police Act]], the police became increasingly motorised and it is now rare to see an officer on foot patrol except in city or town centres, and then rarely alone. More recently, police forces have begun to put officers back on the beat as 'community' or 'neighbourhood' patrols. In an increasing number of urban centres police bicycle units are used to provide a quick response in congested areas, pedestrianised areas and parkland, as well as carrying out patrols. A bicycle patrol provides a happy balance between the distance covered by a motorised patrol and the approachability of the foot patrol. <ref>[http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/press-centre/press-releases/press-releases-content.asp?prID=298 TFL 999 London Cycling Award press release]</ref> The [[Metropolitan Police]] now have over 1500 police bicycles.<ref>[http://www.daveches.co.uk/analysis/bikes Police on bikes, from LS8]</ref>
[[Image:UK Police Battenburg.jpg|thumb|right|Traffic Police Car with high visibility battenburg markings.]]
[[Police car|Patrol cars]], sometimes known as [[panda car]]s, are in use everywhere and may be crewed by one or two officers. In Scotland, because of the necessity of corroborating evidence, there are always two officers in a vehicle. Rapid response vehicles are utilised for various departments in each police force. Some examples are: armed response vehicles and some traffic department vehicles, which come in marked and unmarked variations. Typical examples of high-powered rapid response vehicles are BMW 5 series, Volvo T5s and V70s, enhanced [[Opel Vectra|Vauxhall Vectra]]s and various Subaru and Audi high-end models. Police also use Land Rover and Range Rover models - such as for responding to motorway incidents - Jaguar cars are even used by some forces. Most forces use [[Ford Transit]] vans or similar models as personnel carriers, with specially adapted versions in use by public order units such as the Metropolitan Police [[Territorial Support Group]]. Police motorcycles, bicycles and horses are also employed depending on the situation.
All Home Office police forces have access to air support, often in the form of helicopters. Some forces, such as Hampshire, also have small fixed wing aircraft.
Forces with significant waterways to police maintain police watercraft, ranging from [[Zodiac Group|Zodiac]] dinghies to [[Arun class lifeboat|ARUN class]] boats.<ref>[http://www.met.police.uk/msu/training.htm Metropolitan Police Marine Unit]</ref><ref>[http://www.strathclyde.police.uk/index.asp?locID=927&docID=-1 Strathclyde Police Marine Policing Unit]</ref>
==Other relevant pages==
* [[Police Aviation in United Kingdom]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Law enforcement in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Law enforcement equipment|British police]]
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