British Police breast badges
 

Evening all :D

As there have been some comments regarding the breast badges worn by some British police forces I thought I’d show those I have - it is not a ‘complete’ collection as the Metropolitan Police issued them (possibly on a trial basis) at one time. There are also several Scottish forces missing, including Northern Constabulary which was, I believe, a private purchase item.

Row 1: Dorset & Bournemouth Constabulary (chromed metal); Dorset Police (chromed metal); Greater Manchester Police (chromed plastic); Greater Manchester Police Special Constabulary (chromed plastic).

Row 2: Kent County Constabulary [4#] (chromed plastic); Kent County Constabulary [5#] (chromed plastic); Kent County Constabulary (aluminium).

Row 3: Northumberland Constabulary (chromed metal); Tayside Police (chromed plastic).

All the best

Graham

Graham,

Yes, the Metpol. issued them for use on one or two divisions as part of an experimental uniform. Thames Valley Police is another, I think they still use them. The Atomic Energy Police also issued them. However, they were withdrawn after a short period. Kent Police still use them (with the "Police" wording in place of County Constabulary).

Dave.

Ps. Dumfries & Galloway is another.

Repeat of my post in the classifieds section:

Weren't these "sheriff's badges" originally made of plastic? I seem to remember speaking with an Essex copper during some unpleasantness with miners, dockers whoever soon after they were introduced and being told they were a pain as the pins kept falling off, the badges got pulled off by seat belts etc.
They always seemed the sort of thing that would get snatched in a scuffle.
The Essex helmet plates were made of red plastic with a silver coloured finish which didn't take a half brick well

Thank you Dave, I'd forgotten Thames Valley.

Hi Leigh

Yes, some are made of plastic, I also have a Devon & Cornwall helmet plate made of chromed orange plastic with a screw fitting form the 1980s.

Graham

The Essex ones looked terrible, real Toys r Us stuff, scuffed red plastic showing through the silver. A bit of an overkill to produce the whole plate in red plastic for the sake of the small red centrepiece.

Metpol, nice quality metal badge. Issued to traffic officers. Number was just blue tape.

Thought I'd wait until i'd looked in the loft for mine.
Here's my issued breast badge.
The history behind the Met badges is as follows. In the mid 70's there was a trial of a New style uniform up on 'K' divison (NE London). The trail uniform had the breast badge as part of the trial.
The uniform was not adopted one reason was that it was 'Too American' so that was it.

Traffic motorcyclists for wet weather wore a long rubberised Mac that buckled around the legs. You had to arrange the creases in a certain way or it leaked. These garments had epaulettes so you displayed your numbers on those.

In order to modernise our appearance, a stop gap jacket was introduced. This was in fact a commercial off the shelf black sailing Jacket with no epaulettes. So the clothing stores issued this badge from the trial. This was worn on the left breast. It has four bend over tabs on the rear which easily break and was never intended to be transferred between garments. No expense being spared our numbers were large dymo tape stuck on.

The sailing jacket was replaced by a Black Nylon Belstaff MC jacket with epaulettes so the numbers went back on the shoulders. Some of us put the breast badge on the chest pocket flap instead so we could use the jacket to and from work by tucking the flap in. The badge was never officially withdrawn as most of the tabs had broken off by then. When we got the Yellow MC jackets we never bothered with the breast badge. As far as I recollect it was issued to us trafpols from 76-79 although I wore mine until about 82/83. The badge on our Everoak open face helmets was the crest minus the tab on a Black metal back ground. One of my mates had transferred to Kent and was issued with one of their first breast badges which promptly fell apart the first time it rained as the wrong glue had been used!
Regards
Steve M

Ah yes, the Essex copper way back when mentioned the first Essex breast badges having pins applied with water soluble glue. It never ceases to surprise me how unsoldier-proof kit finds its way into service with police and military.
Was it during the 80's, 90's or the noughties that the Met again faced "criticism" for their choice of uniform?
They planned on getting uniforms supplied from Germany so the media picked up on this, publishing cartoons of the Met in SS uniforms.

Thanks for this Steve, always good to have a first-hand account.

All the best

Graham

Gents,
A picture sent to me be a old colleague who found it in a photo library, of the trial uniform for the Met showing the breast badge being worn. It was apparently 69-70's. Interestingly it show the Breast badge later worn by Traffic and Rank insignia being worn on the lapels. A posed photo with no sign of divisional numbers or letters

Steve M