UK police forces spent over £1m on oversized uniforms, FOI data shows

Right · 2Police forces across the UK have spent more than £1m on oversized uniforms and body armour over the past two years, according to Freedom of Information requests made by The Sun and reported by GB News and the Daily Express. 1 2 Right · 2Forces ordered 282 XXXXL vests, which fit a chest of up to 68 inches, and at least 1,089 custom-made vests for officers who did not fit standard sizes. 1 2 Right · 2Cumbria Police bought 731 bespoke-sized sets of body armour, the largest number named in the reports. 1 2

Right · 2The Metropolitan Police bought 82 pairs of patrol trousers made for 50-inch waists and 88 pairs for 48-inch waists, plus some in sizes 56R and 60R; GB News says waists went up to 60 inches. 1 2 Right · 2Hampshire Police spent £46,955.60 on 41 sets. For Lincolnshire Police on 149 sets, GB News reports almost £90,000, while the Express gives £83,962.70. 1 2 Right · 2Peter Bleksley, a former Met detective, told The Sun that someone with a 60-inch waist or 68-inch chest "aren't fit enough to be a police officer", and said standards had been diluted "to the point of being meaningless". 1 2

Right · 2Paul Williams, acting national chairman of the Police Federation, said officers "come in all shapes and sizes" and that the public should worry more about whether body armour can save lives than the size on a uniform label. 1 2 Right · 1GB News said it had contacted the Metropolitan Police for comment; neither report includes a response from any force or the Home Office. 1