HATS OFF TO FUTURE
‘Lid’ lifted from bobbies in county after 150 years
PC’s traditional headgear passes into history in West Yorkshire.
IT HAS served the police with distinction for the past 150 years.
But yesterday the traditional ‘custodian’ helmet, which came to symbolise the work of the British bobby, was removed from active duty in West Yorkshire for good.
From now on officers will wear a “more appropriate” peaked cap, with the custodian being reserved for ceremonial occasions.
However, one Leeds constable has spoken publicly of how he will “mourn the passing of a little bit of heritage”.
In an eloquent message on Facebook, PC Mike Bateman, of the Leeds inner east neighbourhood policing team, wrote: “Today a milestone will pass quietly in the policing of West Yorkshire. Officers will no longer wear their traditional police helmet, it is being retired to ceremonial duties and more modern caps will be worn on duty.
“For some, the argument goes, the helmet or ‘custodian’ is a relic of the past, cumbersome and no longer fit for purpose.
“Well it’s hard for this bobby to argue against that. I’m 6ft 3in already without my ‘lid’ on, with the added height the washing lines of Harehills front yards are a constant challenge to a graceful entry.
“And the new caps are certainly less expensive than the helmet – we live in frugal times after all. But for all the positives, a part of me will mourn the passing of a little bit of heritage.”
The custodian was first adopted by the London Metropolitan Police in 1863 to replace the ‘stovepipe’ top hat worn since 1829.
Wrapped inside the Kevlar continues to be a proper British bobby
PC Mike Bateman, Leeds inner east neighbourhood policing team
Other forces followed suit but many customised it with their own badges and designs. Some adopted the helmet without any badge, others designed their own, usually with the county’s arms or crest in the centre.
During the 1930s, the Home Office attempted to standardise their design with the ‘Home Office Pattern’.
West Yorkshire Police revealed in January this year that
the helmet was being phased out following a consultation with staff.
Superintendent Keith Gilert said at the time that the force recognised the “importance” of the custodian but added: “What we
have found increasingly is that as the duties carried out by officers and their uniforms have evolved, peaked caps have become more appropriate and more in keeping than the traditional helmets in many situations.”
The helmet will continue to be used for occasions like funerals and Remembrance Day parades.
PC Bateman, who is 30 and has been an officer for six years, said: “Across the world as well as here at home, the custodian is a symbol of nearly 200 years of policing, but also the way in which we police.
“A rich history of innovation, bravery, professionalism and service, the bobby on the beat.”
He added: “Change is inevitable and in time I will get used to my new cap just as the first bobbies who traded in their coat tails and ‘stove pipes’ for tunics and custodians did.
“But when you see us now in our ‘wicking’ shirts and our ‘tactical’ vests festooned with radios, cameras, chemical sprays, extendable batons and Tasers, be assured that wrapped inside the Kevlar continues to be a proper British bobby.”