Police forces spend £1m on oversized uniforms for staff

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 26 Oct, 19:57 · Archive

UK police forces have spent more than £1 million on custom-made uniforms including XXXXL body armour and trousers with waists up to 60 inches.

UK police forces have spent over £1 million on custom-made uniforms for officers with larger measurements in the past two years, according to Freedom of Information data obtained by The Sun.

Forces ordered 282 XXXXL vests, which fit a 68-inch chest, and at least 1,089 custom-made vests overall. The Metropolitan Police purchased trousers with waists of 48, 50, 56 and 60 inches. Cumbria Police bought 731 bespoke-sized sets of body armour. Lincolnshire Police spent nearly £84,000 on 149 oversized sets, whilst Hampshire Police spent almost £47,000 on 41 sets.

Former Metropolitan Police detective Peter Bleksley told The Sun that officers with measurements of a 60-inch waist or 68-inch chest 'aren't fit enough to be a police officer'. He said: 'Officers should be fit enough to run, fight and detain a criminal. If they can't do that then they should do something else.'

How it is being reported

• Fury as UK police spends £1million on supersized kit for obese copsA former detective said: "Officers should be fit enough to run, fight and detain a criminal. If they can't do that then they should do something else."Daily Express · 26 Oct, 19:40
• Police spend £1m on oversized uniforms, including XXXXL body armour and 'obese' waist trousersPolice forces across the country have spent more than a million pounds on uniforms for staff with measurements which would classify them as "obese" by doctors, a new probe has found. In new data, officers across Britain need specially made uniforms for waists up to 60 inches. Figures obtained through Freedom of Information requests by The Sun show that, in the last two years, forces have ordered 282 XXXXL vests. An XXXXL vest would be big enough to fit someone with a 68-inch chest. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say Constabularies also ordered at least 1,089 custom-made vests for officers who…GB News · 26 Oct, 09:37

In this story: Metropolitan Police · Cumbria Police · Lincolnshire Police · Hampshire Police · Peter Bleksley · The Sun

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