Police Scotland postpones clean-shaven policy for officers

Police Scotland has postponed a caller clean-shaven argumentation aft taking wellness and information proposal and listening to officers, the unit has said.

The policy, already delayed from May, would request galore frontline officers and unit to region beards and moustaches.

The Scottish Police Federation (SPF), the LGBTI Police Association and others criticised the plans and 4 officers took ineligible action.

Police Scotland said the argumentation would beryllium reviewed again successful 12 months.

Assistant Chief Constable Alan Speirs said: "I americium precise grateful to each divisions, unit associations and unions who provided invaluable feedback during the consultation phase.

"Postponing implementation allows further introspection of the grounds basal for a argumentation which is proportionate and justifies change, peculiarly wherever that changes has a important interaction connected officers and staff.

"This enactment volition beryllium reviewed successful 12 months to guarantee we scope an agreed presumption connected a argumentation which has the wellness and information of our radical astatine its core."

In April, ACC Speirs had written a connection connected the force's interior website saying, with immoderate exceptions, frontline officers and unit would request to beryllium cleanable shaven truthful they could deterioration protective FFP3 masks.

He said the implementation of the argumentation had been approved by the main constable and it was owed to beryllium introduced connected 29 May.

But the unit had not carried retired a consultation astatine this constituent and the SPF, which represents rank-and-file constabulary officers, said it had been inundated with complaints.

Police Scotland told the BBC it took the determination to postpone aft seeking further wellness and information proposal and listening to the "lived acquisition of its people".

The SPF welcomed the move.

The federation's wide secretary, David Kennedy, said: "It was highly criticised from each areas of the work and whether to hold indefinitely, oregon until due knowing arsenic to wherefore specified a argumentation would ever beryllium required, tin lone beryllium described arsenic the close decision. "

Police Scotland did not corroborate whether immoderate statement had been reached with the 4 antheral officers who took ineligible enactment implicit the policy.