Police forces across the UK spent more than £123 million on new uniforms over the past three full financial years

…with Freedom of Information data raising questions over whether more existing garments could be laundered and reused. Many forces have policies requiring used uniforms to be disposed of regardless of their condition or how frequently they have been worn. Some garments are shredded or incinerated rather than being returned to service.

As a result, uniforms that could potentially be cleaned and reused are being replaced with new garments, adding to both procurement costs and textile waste.

The FOI data shows that police forces spent a combined £123,557,224 on new garments during the three-year period. Of the 46 forces that responded to the requests, 21 said they have policies in place requiring used clothing to be destroyed and replaced with new items.

The figures do not include the Metropolitan Police, Britain’s largest police force, which declined to provide the requested information.

Business uniform specialists Custom Embroidered Patches UK believe public costs could be drastically reduced if forces focused on thoroughly cleaning and reusing serviceable garments instead of routinely ditching them.

A spokesman said: “These numbers highlight the truly staggering financial burden that regional police forces currently face when equipping their officers for the front line. “But these costs could be drastically reduced. It is absolutely vital that constabularies continue to adopt robust recycling strategies.”

Forces have defended the spending, saying costs have risen due to inflation and having more frontline officers. Restrictions also prevent forces from giving away or redistributing used uniforms. Additionally, they can be heavily worn or contaminated, so are destroyed for safety reasons.

The debate nevertheless raises an important question for the wider workwear and laundry industries: how much uniform replacement could be avoided through more sophisticated laundering, inspection, repair and textile-reuse programmes?

The Met Police Force declined to provide figures, but Forces across the UK frequently destroy uniform