Plans to introduce new shirts for the Police Service, costing approximately $290,000, were in the making two years ago but owing to a lack of legislation, the initiative was never implemented, says Police Commissioner Dwayne Gibbs. He was fielding questions from the media after the launch of a counter-terrorism training programme yesterday at the Police Service Academy, St James. He said when the police introduced the 21st-century policing model in November 2010, he was advised it would be a good opportunity to upgrade police uniform shirts. Citing a number of reasons for the change, Gibbs said it included rebranding the Police Service and improving the fabric of the uniform itself.
He said the material used dated back to colonial days and was now hard to buy.
He added: "So we will look in terms of bringing or providing a uniform for officers that is comfortable to wear, that they can wash and wear, that beats the climate here, is more contemporary in the policing world and will meet our needs, as we know that this other fabric will eventually not be produced,"Gibbs said. He said a limited number of the new uniforms was purchased on a trial basis to outfit officers assigned to the Western Division in 2011. "Unfortunately we haven't gone forward enough to get the changes in the legislation that will allow us to make changes to the uniform, so we were never able to put those out on the street," Gibbs said. He said the new uniforms which already had been bought would be used at the Police Academy to save on the wear and tear of the regular uniforms. "These uniforms that we have purchased would be recycled with the classes that come through, there is no loss of cost," Gibbs added.
