Thiruvananthapuram: To tuck in or not. The women police force in Kerala was in a spin when orders came in that they would have to tuck in their shirts while on duty. For a time, more than policing, cops were preoccupied with the dress code which many of them said was disturbing.
These issues and others held centrestage at the National Conference for Women Police organised at Taj Vivanta. The meet saw a large number of officers from all over India sharing their experiences.
Police officers came in different uniforms representing various wings. It was a delight to see many officers dressed neatly in a similar style.
The highlight of the conference was a display of women’s uniforms down the years. The organisers had on display various styles of uniforms women constables had to wear all through these years.
The form and colour of uniforms worn by Kerala’s women police have changed a lot over the years. In 1939, they wore a khaki shirt and skirt with a brown belt around the waist.
They also had grey caps. The style underwent a sea change in 1970. A white sari with a green border and a green blouse became the uniform. The name badge was pinned on the sari.
The same year, the uniform moved to khaki shirts and pants. A whistle chord too was added to the dress. The long shirt had four pockets. There was no tuck in.
They had the present day’s cap along with the three lions badge on the cap. Later, the pattern changed to khaki sari and khaki blouse.
Women officers today wear plain light khaki shirts and pants, and metal belts marked with the KP badge just like their male counterparts.
It’s also very important to wear badges with their designation. The dark blue cap with yellow stripes was also added in recent years.
“The idea to put up these uniforms at the conference was decided by our organising panel. Since it was a police conference, it was important to show the various types of uniforms women police had over the years.
This would be a different experience to officers from other states as well”, said Ajeetha Beegum, DCP.
Meanwhile AIG leaves choice to officers
Women police officers in Kerala are happy with the new order. They may or may not tuck in their shirts. This is in fact the first such order passed in India. No other State has such a provision.
“We are used to bush shirts and pants. It’s inconvenient for us to tuck in our shirts and we are not used to it”, said Sudha, a police officer.
It’s mandatory for trainees to tuck in their shirts but they can choose whether to tuck in or not once they become officers.
If a new police officer decides not to tuck in, she has to give a valid reason for it to the unit head concerned.
“It’s now optional for women officers to tuck in their shirts. Only Kerala has bush shirts which are not tucked in usually.
This provision was granted because many women police officers raised genuine concerns”, said Uma Behra, AIG Coastal Security.
The orders were issued by DGP K.S.Balasubramanian after looking into the concerns put forward by many women police officers.
