Hairnets could return at Met Police as women officers told to smarten up – Incoming deputy commissioner seeks clarity on uniform standards as she calls for ‘inconsistency’ in hairstyles to end
Hairnets could return at Met Police as women officers told to smarten up – Incoming deputy commissioner seeks clarity on uniform standards as she calls for ‘inconsistency’ in hairstyles to end
13 comments
>#Hairnets could return at Met Police as women officers told to smarten up
>__Incoming deputy commissioner seeks clarity on uniform standards as she calls for ‘inconsistency’ in hairstyles to end__
>By Jack Hardy, CRIME CORRESPONDENT
>16 August 2022 • 2:49pm
>Hairnets could return for women police officers at Scotland Yard, an incoming police chief has suggested, as she called for an end to an “inconsistency” in hairstyles.
>Dame Lynne Owens, who is due to take over as deputy commissioner at the force next month, indicated that standards of dress for both men and women would be given new focus.
>The former head of the National Crime Agency (NCA) is joining under Sir Mark Rowley, the new commissioner, as part of a major leadership overhaul aimed at restoring public confidence.
>A prolific tweeter, Dame Lynne posted a picture of a pair of smart leather shoes and hairnets, writing:
>This weeks purchases have arrived! Now time to get working on those shoes – standards matter in my view as they link directly to how the public see us. pic.twitter.com/pysOxA8zXe
— Lynne Owens (@DameLynneOwens) August 14, 2022
>Dame Lynne wrote that “inconsistency” would be the “kindest word” to describe how women officers currently wear their hair.
>Let’s be honest Jas there is inconsistency (that’s my kindest word) in how female officers wear their hair. None of us should walk on by. Others can make it neat without a net – not me!
— Lynne Owens (@DameLynneOwens) August 14, 2022
>It comes after Dame Lynne – who was the first woman to head the NCA, known as Britain’s FBI – was appointed to the Metropolitan Police on an interim basis to help revive fortunes of the scandal-hit force.
>In a statement released at the time, she promised to “renew policing by consent with less crime, higher standards and more trust” after the force was placed in special measures for a series of misconduct and racism scandals, as well as a failure to investigate offences.
>Her post about the importance of officer appearance acknowledged that there was a “long” list of other priorities, but said of the link between uniform standards and effective police service:
>I honestly believe the two are connected. Of course the primary measure is public service
— Lynne Owens (@DameLynneOwens) August 14, 2022
>Last month, the chief constable of Greater Manchester Police said he had made smart appearance a central plank of his efforts to turn the embattled force into one of the fastest improving.
>Officers were told by Stephen Watson to shave off their designer stubble and polish their boots in a “back to basics” plan, ordered after the police chief found “cheap” kit left them appearing scruffy and unprofessional.
>Echoing his words this week, Dame Lynne said: “Being clear on the uniform standard and sticking to it should be simple.”
Yeah this will really sort out the met
/s
Ah yes, of all the massive public failings of the Met in recent years, this is definitely the issue I was most hoping to see them resolve.
Ah Yes, the number one complaint I hear regularly about the police is how unkempt they look with different hairstyles
Our officers are strip searching children and sexually assaulting women and covering up for the corrupt government.
How can we fix this? Hairnets.
You will be depersonalised drones and you will like it
EDIT: Not sure why it’s downvoted, this is exactly the attitude towards employees in the UK
What a weird thing. Although why it only applies to women and not officers of any gender is a question.
Also, is this really a problem at the Met? I thought the sexism, racism, rape culture, etc would be more of a concern.
Her hair looks messier than any female police officer I’ve seen. But I can honestly say that a police officer’s haircut has not been an issue for me at all. I tend to care more about the incompetence, the corruption, and the cover-ups, tbh
I hope to also see beardnets as standard for hirsute officers.
Hairnet on an Afro? Yeah sure
If I was a female MET officer I’d probably just just shave all my off as a great big fuck off to this stupid woman.
Now I’m sure this is closely totally reasonable.
Afterall im sure its totally that their are women offices with different hairstyles that show of their sexual wiles and tempt their male colleagues towards the mass sexual pervison; pedo behaviour and rape culture that exists in the met.
Remember it’s always the women at fault that sexual predators exist.
/s though perhaps this is actually the thought process of the Met given what we have seen.
Ah yes, you’ve been robbed/attacked/in a car crash etc the police have actually turned up and you’re absolutely going to be concerned by their hairdo.
You can have a rule about neat and tidy without enforcing specific styles.