What is the purpose of a uniform? Worn by soldiers, it helps to identify the people on your own side so you don’t kill them on the battlefield by mistake. It also encourages an esprit de corps, a shared purpose emphasised by a common dress. Many groups down the centuries, from the Greek hoplite to schoolchildren around the world, have enjoyed the pride and fellowship engendered by their uniforms – and none more so than the British bobby. The “thin blue line” and “the boys in blue” are terms for the police that reflect our familiarity with their serge outfits, worn for 200 years. So, the idea that the police in London might in future be issued with high-visibility yellow jackets as standard dress is not only a dispiriting break with tradition, it does not make sense either. One report yesterday said that senior officers want to make it easier for the public to spot the police on the streets. But how will that be achieved when so many other people also wear “hi-viz” jackets?

They are less a uniform than a sartorial statement of self-importance. Once, they could only be seen from the carriage of a train, worn by the railway workers for whom they were designed in 1964. But while a hazardous occupation is an eminently sensible reason for making sure people can be seen, fluorescent jackets are now everywhere, worn by road sweepers, joggers, postmen, schoolchildren on outings and even litter wardens. Doubtless, workers on a building site or refuse collectors hanging on to the back of a dustcart are required to wear them for health and safety purposes. But it never used to be the case. While you can see the argument for a builder wearing a hard hat, how does a hi-viz jacket make him safer? Our litigious world is partly to blame, of course. EU regulations that came into force 20 years ago require that staff be issued with the right protective kit; and although the rules do not stipulate that yellow jackets must be worn, employers fear being sued if they aren’t.

For safety reasons, police officers already wear hi-viz jackets over their uniforms if they are attending a road accident or riding bikes or motorcycles. But if they start wearing them as their normal everyday apparel, how will we know who is a copper and who isn’t? It is already difficult to distinguish between community support officers and fully warranted bobbies, a deliberate move to make it appear that there are more officers on the streets than is the case. motorbike shop in romfordThis happens on the roads, too: how many of us have crawled along behind what we thought was a police car sporting the familiar markings only to find that it is a Highways Agency vehicle masquerading as one?black stormtrooper motorcycle helmet Surely the point about the traditional police uniform or the marked police car is to differentiate them from everyone else. motorcycle shops in yuma az

With the hi-viz yellow tabard now de rigueur in so many walks of life, there is no way of knowing who is who. This matters because another function of uniform is to demonstrate authority. By dispensing with the traditional blue and opting for ubiquitous yellow, the police are saying that no one will take them seriously unless they are in hi-viz jackets. arai monster energy motorcycle helmetAnd yet when everyone is wearing them, they just become part of the crowd. avon motorcycle tyres north americaAs Glen Smyth, a former chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, said: “Police officers are supposed to stand out by looking smart. motorcycles for sale in springdale ar

That won’t be the case if they are all wearing yellow.” This fluorescent fetishism is not about making things easier for the public but bestows a form of bogus authority, a way of estranging the wearers from the rest of us. The police have already taken a step in this direction by equipping themselves with stab vests, sprays and other paraphernalia that make the modern bobby look more like Robocop than George Dixon. harley trikes for sale in tennesseeThis is justified as “moving with the times”, because uniforms are now regarded as old-fashioned and authoritarian, and as a response to the greater dangers faced by the modern police officer. But sometimes, how you look does matter. Too many of our institutions have been undermined and degraded to the point where those who once held them in awe now treat them with derision. The bobby on the beat is likely to be more at risk, not less, if his uniform is no longer respected and he looks the same as the parcel delivery man.

Go to the High Court and you won’t see a judge presiding over a civil case wearing a wig or the scarlet robe that once gave them the sobriquet of “red judge”. Where is the majesty of the law? This trend towards “ordinary” dress has been evident for years. Just look at the Commons Speaker John Bercow, who dispensed with most of the traditional garb of his office which was designed to mark out him and his office from the rest of the House, including the clerks whom he now resembles. He will be wearing a hi-viz jacket next.Motorcycle police get new gear 06.18.2013ShareAdjustPrintSharp-eyed observers may have noticed that Edmonton Police Service motor officers have acquired a modern new look. EPS began phasing in the new riding gear for motor officers last year, but for 2013, all motorcycle patrol officers will be wearing the latest protective riding gear. Gone are the fashion-before-function, traditional garb that EPS motorcycle police have worn for years. This clothing looked to have been inspired from the mounted-horse era, with breeks and shiny, high-polish leather boots topped off with short-sleeve shirts and open-face helmets.

The old-style, traditional motorcycle riding apparel — still widely used by police forces across Canada and the United States — provides little protection to the rider in the event of a crash.Now, EPS motor officers will be wearing full protective apparel purpose-made for police use. This includes a high-visibility yellow motorcycle jackets, pants (with protective armour pads) and full-face coverage helmets.“The new gear is made of Kevlar mesh and is (crash) rated for 90 kph,” says EPS motor patrol unit head Sgt. Eric Duff. (Kevlar is a high strength synthetic material used in making ballistic or ‘bulletproof’ vests.) “The jacket is a three-piece ensemble, with separate, zip-in, waterproof and fleece liners. The jacket has armour pads for elbows and shoulders. The cargo-style riding pants have padded knees and resemble our normal patrol pants. Each motor officer’s riding outfit is custom-made to fit their physique.”Broad, reflective stripes on the arms, shoulders, front and back of the jacket further increase visibility.

Duff says each made-in-Canada suit costs about $700, comparable in price to off-the-rack civilian motorcycle riding apparel that’s typically manufactured in Third World countries. The new EPS riding outfits are made by Crime Scene Evidence Ltd., a Calgary company that specializes in designing and manufacturing uniforms in Canada.Also putting EPS motor officers at the forefront of modern motorcycle safety was the decision to replace the traditional open-face helmet (which does not protect the chin and face in a crash) with new Scorpion modular, full-face helmets. This helmet has a lockable chin bar (which can be released and rotated up, allowing the officer to converse unimpeded by the helmet) and a built-in, retractable sun visor. The helmet has a built-in communications system consisting of headphones and a microphone boom that plugs into the officer’s patrol radio.There are currently some 40 male and female motor officers active in the EPS Traffic Section, all of whom have been equipped with the new riding gear.