POLICEMEN say unisex uniforms are driving them nuts.
They claim the trousers are squeezing their testicles — while female officers moan about an uncomfortable lack of space “between waist and the crotch”.
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Belinda Goodwin, the police union’s national board member and wellbeing lead, said: “During a survey, Gwent police male officers complained of experiencing crushed testicles.
“We have heard female officers facing discomfort because of the unisex trousers. All of this plays into how officers and staff feel on the job, and that cannot be understated.”
But last night, Benjamin Elks of the TaxPayers’ Alliance dismissed the same-sex strides as “woke nonsense” — and a waste of funds.
He said: “This farce is a distraction for officers who should be out catching criminals.
“Police forces should cut out waste and put bobbies on the beat.”
The problems were highlighted in the first police uniform and equipment survey run by Lancaster University and the Police Federation.
It follows a study last year by Dr Camilla De Camargo, a lecturer and policing researcher at Lancaster University Law School.
She said police uniforms were long designed by men for men and found ill-fitting trousers and stab vests were a particular problem for female officers.
The problems damaged performance, health and safety, morale and psychological wellbeing, she added.
Of the latest survey, she said: “This is an exciting opportunity for uniform-wearers to have their voices heard.”
In 2021, The Sun revealed that the Met Police was considering plans to introduce gender-neutral uniforms.
The London force has been consulting its 30,000 officers on the idea.
The following year, Assistant Commissioner Matt Jukes, head of the force’s HeForShe solidarity campaign, marked Menopause Awareness Month by wearing a jacket that simulates hot flushes.
