The vast majority of people are not bothered if police officers have tattoos, according to the results of a Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) survey carried out earlier this year.
And 81 per cent of respondents said a visible tattoo would make no difference to their confidence in the officer.
“Nationwide there is currently an inconsistent approach to tattoos that can be seen when an officer is wearing uniform,” says Jim Mallen, chairman of Bedfordshire Police Federation, “Some forces won’t accept any recruits – or transferees – with visible tattoos while others adopt a far more lenient stance.
“It seems to me that in modern day society, where more and more people are having tattoos, the police service needs to move with the times and it would appear that the public sees that.
“Barring people with visible tattoos from joining the police could mean that forces miss out on some recruits who have all the right skills to make them a good police officer. Forces need to be representative of the communities they serve and a blanket ban of tattoos would go against that.”
The survey, conducted by Ipsos Mori, also revealed:
- Nearly 60 per cent of the public who responded said they would feel comfortable in dealing with an officer who has a visible tattoo – slightly higher than they would with doctors or teachers (both 56 per cent)
- 60 per cent of those surveyed believe people with visible tattoos should be allowed to join the police service
- More than half of the officers who took part said they felt comfortable or very comfortable working with colleagues with visible tattoos
- 48 per cent of officers surveyed said they had a tattoo, with 17 per cent having a visible tattoo
- Many officers said their tattoos helped them to relate to the public, diffusing situations and that officers should be judged on their work, rather than tattoos.
Vicki Martin, who has been leading on the work on behalf of the PFEW, welcomed the results: “What we need to see now is a sensible approach to officers in the service and to potential candidates who want to join the service, otherwise we are missing out on a huge talent pool.
“Policies need to be modern and flexible to ensure the public get the best people delivering their policing, being representative of the communities we serve.”
The research – which was two-fold and asked views of officers as well as the public - was undertaken because of the inconsistent way national guidance was being interpreted among forces across the country.
The Federation will now work with Leicestershire Chief Constable Simon Cole who is leading a small group looking at appearance standards and specifically tattoos.
PFEW is seeking a national standard so that there is an up to date professional policy fit for the modern day police service.
