Police Scotland abandons plans to ban beards
Police Scotland has scrapped plans which would see many frontline officers and staff shave their facial hair.
clean policy Was to be introduced in May last year But controversy arose and its implementation was postponed for 12 months.
The force has now told BBC Scotland News there are “no plans” to introduce changes.
Police Scotland paid a total of £60,000 to four officers who took legal action after being told to shave their beards.
The Scottish Police Federation – which represents rank and file officers – said the policy had “no consideration of equality, no respect and a callous approach to common sense.”
In May 2023, BBC Scotland News viewed a message from then Assistant Chief Constable Alan Spears on Police Scotland’s internal website, outlining plans to introduce a clean-shave policy.
The message said that although the threat from the coronavirus has subsided, there remain widespread risks for officers – including fire – that require wearing personal protective equipment.
This includes FFP3 facemasks that require users to be clean shaven.
People may have been given exemptions on grounds such as religion and disability.
But the Scottish Police Federation said a flood of complaints and Police Scotland soon postponed its implementation “to allow further investigation of the evidence base”.
in force in July 2023 Said its work “will be reviewed in 12 months “To ensure that we reach an agreed position on a policy that has the health and safety of our people at its core.”
It came out in October 2023 Police Scotland paid a total of £60,000 Legal action taken against four officers who were asked to shave their facial hair.
David Kennedy, general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, said: “The beard policy was a policy that had no consideration, no respect for equality and a callous approach to common sense and proportionality in policing.
“Let us hope that as the police service evolves, so will modern attitudes towards people and family-friendly policies.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We postponed the implementation of the policy to July 2023 after listening to our people and reviewing the health and safety evidence.
“There are no plans to introduce these changes.”
