All police forces in England and Wales have their own "helmet plates" attached to the front of the helmet, most of which feature the county's coat of arms/crest or the royal cypher in the centre. Also, most helmet plates now feature parts with coloured enamel, such as the force name or crest. The additional of enamel to helmet plates started around 1985; most forces before this had plain metal ones with no or little colour. Some forces also used "night plates" for unobtrusive use at night-time, usually darkened apart from the centre, instead of metal "day plates". This practice had almost completely ceased by 1973. Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2000-06-05 . Retrieved 2010-12-13. {{ cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title ( link) Helmets closely following the British model were widely worn by the police forces of Canada, Australia and New Zealand from the late nineteenth century on. These were eventually discarded as being inconvenient to wear when in vehicles or providing insufficient protection from the sun when on foot patrol. The "bobby helmet" was replaced by a pith helmet for police in Victoria, Australia from 1947, as well by a cap. [36] The Custodian Helmet is also worn by the British Transport Police and Ministry of Defence Police, the States of Jersey Police, the States of Guernsey Police Service, the Isle of Man Constabulary, the Royal Gibraltar Police, and the Bermuda Police. Special Constables are also issued with Custodian Helmets. Gloucestershire Constabulary states the same that it must be worn by officers and PCSOs when in public view. A common sense approach is also adopted in times of emergency or impractical circumstances.

A Custodian Helmet is also known as a Policeman’s Helmet or Centurion Helmet and technically known as a ‘Home Office Pattern Helmet’. The Custodian Helmet is worn by policemen in England and Wales as the traditional headgear of the ‘Bobby on the beat’, worn by constables and sergeants on foot patrol. A Peaked Cap is worn by officers on mobile patrol in cars. Female officers usually wear a bowler with a badge. Recently, efforts have been made to make headwear more gender-neutral. An example of this is Hertfordshire Police who have given officers the option to wear identical headwear, regardless of gender. Why do some police officers wear Baseball caps? Northamptonshire Police and Leicestershire Police both replaced custodian helmets with gender-neutral caps in 2017, but later reinstated them in 2019 and 2022 respectively. [19] The police have recently introduced the option of baseball caps or “bump caps” as part of the uniform whilst phasing out traditional helmets. The main reason for this is to provide gender-neutral hats to make the police force more inclusive. Not only this, but their lightweight nature makes it easier for officers to get in and out of vehicles without having to remove them. The police hat is an easily distinguishable part of the police uniform with its helmet shape and unique badge on each hat. It first became essential wear for police officers in 1829. What started as a top hat, impractical and heavy, evolved into the police hat that we recognise today.

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Use in countries outside the Commonwealth [ edit ] Cosenza Polizia Locale wearing custodian helmets in dress uniform. Although it’s known by some as a ‘Bobby’s Helmet’ or commonly as a police hat, it does in fact have its own special name. It’s called a ‘custodian helmet’. A comb and crest, a ball or a simple helmet boss adorns the top of the helmet whilst some forces used to have spikes on top. A thin chinstrap keeps the helmet on with some helmets having an additional double strap with chin cup for more strenuous activity. Freedom of Information request 01/FOI/22/967 - Officer Headwear" (PDF). British Transport Police . Retrieved 2 June 2022.

Certain Italian municipal police forces use a white custodian-style helmet, particularly in open air duties, such as when directing traffic. Bobby is a slang term for police constables in the British Isles. The helmet itself is known as a custodian helmet, once worn exclusively by male officers in Britain. As well as in the UK, other forces currently using the custodian helmet include the States of Jersey Police, States of Guernsey Police Service, Isle of Man Constabulary, Royal Gibraltar Police, and Bermuda Police. The term "custodian" originated as a specific make of helmet used in Britain in the late-twentieth century. Because of this, "custodian" was never an official or unofficial name for similar helmets worn in other parts of the Commonwealth. a b c Marriott, Steve (1988). "Bobby Helmet FAQ: British Police Helmets". PICA Magazine. Archived from the original on 2010-04-16 . Retrieved 27 December 2016– via The Constabulary. The England international proved to be an integral component of United's rebuilding process after Munich, plying his trade across the field while the rest of the side was constructed. A permanent switch to a deep-lying forward role brought the best from him, and he was vital as Busby's men won league titles in 1965 and 1967.West Yorkshire Police states that ‘Headwear must be worn at all times when performing duty outside.’ Although this can be removed in a vehicle or in times of an emergency. The traffic police or the ‘roads policing’ as they are sometimes known are responsible for policing the roads in the UK. The main reason that traffic police wear white hats is for visibility. Of the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales, 40 are currently using the custodian helmet.