![\"Police](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/101735063-15055245-Police_officers_in_Scotland_have_complained_of_ill_fitting_and_o-m-3_175674563592.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nScotland’s frontline police officers are buying their own uniforms as the standard issue kit is \u2018ill-fitting\u2019 and of \u2018poor quality\u2019, a new report has found.<\/p>\n
A review by HM inspectors has found that trousers lack stretch and fade quickly, \u2018inadequate\u2019 jackets leave officers exposed to rain, fleeces are \u2018too thin\u2019 and tear, and torches do not have enough battery life or brightness.<\/p>\n
Rank-and-file officers also reported that armoured vests are \u2018too bulky\u2019 and \u2018ride up\u2019 while travelling, while footwear looked \u2018unprofessional\u2019.<\/p>\n
This has, according to the HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland, led to the practice of officers buying their own kit becoming \u2018normalised\u2019.<\/p>\n
Police Scotland has now been urged to improve the standard of kit provided after inspectors found that \u2018frontline officers and staff did not have access to uniforms that meet the same standards of quality as those provided to specialist or senior roles\u2019.<\/p>\n
HM Assistant Inspector of Constabulary in Scotland, Brian McInulty, said frontline officers who operate in \u2018remarkably challenging environments\u2019 were \u2018the face of Police Scotland\u2019 and ensuring they have access to \u2018high-quality, comfortable and effective\u2019 uniforms and equipment\u2019 was of \u2018critical importance\u2019.<\/p>\n
But he stressed: \u2018Many officers and staff are purchasing their own items of uniform. This leads to a lack of uniformity across the service, and it is, quite frankly, unacceptable that officers and staff find themselves in this position.\u2019<\/p>\n
The report found there \u2018was a notion that all decisions on uniform and equipment provided to frontline officers were predicated on cost, ahead of quality.\u2019<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Police officers in Scotland have complained of \u2018ill-fitting\u2019 and of \u2018poor quality\u2019 standard issue uniform<\/p>\n
![\"Police](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/101735073-15055245-Police_officers_have_resorted_to_spending_their_own_cash_on_unif-a-1_175674551127.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
Police officers have resorted to spending their own cash on uniforms in favour of the standard issue kit<\/p>\n
Critics blamed a lack of \u2018sufficient\u2019 funds from the SNP Government to enable the force to cope with current levels of demand.<\/p>\n
Scottish Police Federation chairman David Threadgold said: \u2018Fundamentally cops are buying equipment because the stuff provided by the service is not good enough, doesn\u2019t fit or doesn\u2019t do the task it needs to do.<\/p>\n
\u2018This is not what should be happening in a service that has a \u00a31.5billion budget. But it simply doesn\u2019t have enough money to buy the best kit for officers.<\/p>\n
\u2018The government will say they have given record budgets and the chief constable can choose what she spends it on. But it cannot maintain the level of demand that exists on police officers \u2013 and at the very least they should be provided with the best equipment to enable them to go out and do the job for our communities.<\/p>\n
\u2018I don\u2019t know a single cop who wants to spend their own money to carry out their job safely, but that\u2019s the reality of the situation.\u2019<\/p>\n
Scottish Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Justice Liam Kerr said Nationalist ministers should be \u2018ashamed\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u2018It\u2019s disgraceful that savage SNP cuts mean police officers have been forced to buy their own kit.<\/p>\n
\u2018This shows how hollowed out frontline policing has become under the SNP government when they cannot even provide them with the basics.\u2019<\/p>\n
The inspectors heard examples of crime scene managers wearing jackets that are widely regarded as a superior, long-lasting garment, while frontline officers, on a cordon for an entire shift, had to make do with an inferior-quality jacket.<\/p>\n
The report states: \u2018The general feeling is that the current system is unfair, and frontline officers should be equally, if not better, provisioned for the roles they perform.\u2019<\/p>\n
Female officers also reported having to order men\u2019s trousers due to a \u2018lack of stretch and poor fit\u2019 offered in women\u2019s sizes.<\/p>\n
Among its list of recommendations, HM inspectors advised the force to seek \u2018alternative standard issue trousers that are made of higher quality, stretchable materials that accommodate diverse body types, including a proper fit for females\u2019.<\/p>\n
It also suggested they provide uniform designed for officers with specific requirements or medical conditions including \u2018pregnancy and menopausal symptoms\u2019.<\/p>\n
The force was also asked to consider whether the \u2018considerable cost\u2019 associated with having the wording \u2018Police Scotland\u2019 and \u2018Poileas Alba\u2019 embroidered on its tops represents value for money.<\/p>\n
Liberal Democrat Justice spokesman Liam McArthur said: \u2018A professional looking police service is not just a matter of national pride\u2026..Police officers need a uniform that is smart, comfortable and safe.\u2019<\/p>\n
Police Scotland Chief Superintendent Stevie Dolan said the Chief Constable has \u2018set out a vision for the future of policing in Scotland which prioritises support for our frontline\u2019.<\/p>\n
He added: \u2018We’ll take account of this report and listen to officers and staff to ensure they get the uniform and kit they need to deliver for communities.\u2019<\/p>\n
Justice Secretary Angela Constance said: ‘While provision of uniform and equipment is a matter for the Chief Constable, I am clear that police officers and staff should be provided with the correct tools for the job, and I welcome Police Scotland\u2019s commitment to this.’<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Scotland’s frontline police officers are buying their own uniforms as the standard issue kit is \u2018ill-fitting\u2019 and of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":390837,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5009],"tags":[748,92,4884,12,712,10004,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-390836","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-scotland","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-dailymail","10":"tag-great-britain","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-scotland","13":"tag-snp","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115132485208310101","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390836","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=390836"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390836\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/390837"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=390836"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=390836"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=390836"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}