Conversations about police uniform say so much about the culture of a force

Dr Camilla De Camargo never expected an uncomfortable uniform to shape the direction of her academic career or to become a catalyst for change across policing. But years after first putting on a stab vest that made it hard to breathe, her research into police uniforms is now influencing national conversations about officer welfare, procurement, and culture.

The Lancaster University academic, along with her project co-lead Dr Stephanie Wallace, spoke at The Emergency Services Show last year, reporting on the outcomes of the National Uniform and Equipment Survey which looked at fit, procurement, culture and gender. While she can’t join us at the show this year, she spoke to us about her work shortly before heading off to the Middle East where she is relocating for an exciting new role.

Her interest in this topic began with a very personal reaction to trying on police officer uniform, finding it uncomfortable and asking herself how anyone could wear it for long periods of time. “I was thinking naively, why are we not just buying better uniforms?” She started speaking to police officers, and realised the problems ran far deeper.

Legacy contracts, fragmented procurement across all 49 forces, and ingrained cultural attitudes all combine to keep substandard kit in circulation, she explains.

What began as a focus on women’s experiences quickly broadened. While Camilla had gathered years of anecdotal evidence from women, she was struck by how many men came forward when she put out calls on social media. One male officer believed tight-fitting trousers had contributed to his infertility, only to be laughed at by his sergeant. For Camilla, these stories revealed something profound about policing culture.

Her research highlights that uniform is far more than a functional layer of fabric. It is a powerful symbol of legitimacy, authority and status, both in the public eye and within the organisation.

Yet it is also a daily reminder, for many officers, of not being fully cared for as Camilla explains: “If you believe that you can’t do your job properly, and you complain about it, and then no one changes that for you or gives you better kit, how uncomfortable must you feel in your job?” It must feel like your voice is not listened to, she adds.

Camilla’s work, combining large-scale survey data with deeply personal qualitative accounts, has made it harder for forces and policymakers to dismiss these concerns as minor gripes.

The numbers are compelling: uniform and equipment now appear as a top-five concern in workforce data, and her team has conservatively estimated uniform-related sick leave is costing forces nearly £10 million a year based on one week’s police constable salary. This, she adds, does not include occupational health referrals, NHS and private healthcare costs, administrative burden, backfilling people being off sick, long-term sick leave for MSK issues, along with the unquantifiable costs to morale, well-being and retention.

Stories behind the uniform

But it is the stories behind the uniform that have given the research its emotional force. Camilla shares examples of the officer who must go back to the station mid-shift to take off her kit to get some relief; the women experiencing chronic health problems they feel are linked to stab vests and disparity of uniform choices between different forces.

“People are not interested in feelings, right?” Camilla reflects. “These feelings of self-worth and belonging; these are very gendered, very emotional and very much not belonging in policing.” Yet by foregrounding those feelings and pairing them with robust data, she has managed to get the issue in front of the people who can drive reform.

Since presenting the research at major policing conferences, Camilla has met with Sarah Jones MP, Minister of State for Policing and Crime, and has seen findings from the National Uniform and Equipment Survey inform wider national discussions on police reform, including Home Office policy development and the drafting of the new Target Operating Model.

Camilla and her colleagues are continuing to push for national minimum standards for police uniform and equipment, building on the establishment of a Strategic Uniform Board – one of the key recommendations of the National Uniform & Equipment Survey.

The aim is to end what Camilla describes as a ‘postcode lottery’ of uniform experience, where the quality, fit and functionality of kit can vary considerably between forces. where one force’s officers enjoy high-spec, body-specific designs while others are still issued trousers known to cause problems, simply because they are sitting in a storeroom.

Her aim is not to prescribe a single national uniform, but to set a baseline of safety, comfort and fit that no force can fall below. “Is it too much to ask?” she says.

“These officers and staff put their life on the line for us every day, and I just think the minimum that people can do is just give them kit that fits and doesn’t cause them to have long term health issues.”

For Camilla, success is not about academic metrics, but about translation into real change. By turning discomfort into data, and data into stories that resonate in frontline briefings and ministerial offices alike, her work is helping to reshape what ‘standard issue’ should mean in policing, Her work, and the continued campaigning of the Police Federation, is pushing the service towards uniforms that protect not only public legitimacy, but the people who wear them.

At this year’s show, Commander Dan Ivey from the Met Police will host a panel on the work that the National Police Chiefs’ Council is doing to establish national standards for uniform. Join him and his panel on 17 September at 1115 – Protecting police officers and what it takes to get the kit to fit. Register for your free ticket here.