From frontline to waistline, police officers are feeling the pinch in more ways than one.
Women police officers are struggling with ill-fitting uniforms that either “don’t fit round the bottom” or are “too tight around the thighs”, Julie Nesbit, of the Police Federation, said.
Trousers with narrow legs or waistbands that do not fit properly make working long hours and shifts uncomfortable, she added. Ms Nesbit, chairwoman of the constables’ central committee, said: “It’s really been a historic problem. You never seem to get trousers that fit properly.
“If they fit round your waist, they don’t fit round your bottom, or they’re too tight around the thighs.”
She went on: “Women can walk into any high street store and get trousers off the peg that will fit perfectly. But we don’t seem to be able to do that with uniform trousers.
“We’ve had lots of problems, particularly when you bear in mind we can work long hours and shifts.”