Uniform

source

Hi all,

quick question to the GS members on the forum, what do you think of the uniform, is it too old fashioned? impractical?

what do you think of the build quality and materials?

and what do you think would work better, if anything?

or do you like/love it, all opinions welcome.

personally i think it's outdated and needs to be rethought, it could do with more robust materials, and also more practical.

deadwood

foinse wrote: »

Hi all,

quick question to the GS members on the forum, what do you think of the uniform, is it too old fashioned? impractical?
Yes.

what do you think of the build quality and materials?
We've been buying uniforms with the recession in mind. That's us "going forward".

and what do you think would work better, if anything?
Yes, anything.
or do you like/love it, all opinions welcome.
I'm just lucky - I look good in anything and make anything look good.
Feel sorry for the others though.

personally i think it's outdated and needs to be rethought, it could do with more robust materials, and also more practical.

I like the way the collar of the jacket is especially designed as a conduit to channel all the rain down to my 65% polyester shirt collar.

Jay112

I think its grand! would be nice to lose the tie is all

FGR

Better high vis jacket and better trousers..That's about it, really.

Need to apply for a new equipment belt..

kwalsh000

Agree with you on the trousers, not suitable for everyday policing. Mine keep tearing at random places. Loose the tie aswell for day to day work.

Random

I reckon it would look much more professional and daunting (this is the wrong word .. but I can't find the right one) if it were black like the majority (if not all?) of the UK ones.

source

black is normally worn because it along with most dark colours are usually linked with authority, the navy colour would be fine if we didn't have the light blue shirt,I reckon a navy work shirt with, navy combats would be fine, along with the haix boots which i think are the best bit of kit we've been issued with.

deadwood

Random wrote: »

I reckon it would look much more professional and daunting (this is the wrong word .. but I can't find the right one) if it were black like the majority (if not all?) of the UK ones.

That worked well for these guys.

deadwood

city4life wrote: »

i wear my mountain bike gear alot....comfortable and i think looks better...

TheNog

I would at least prefer to lose the tie for outdoor work when wearing the vest. Don't mind wearing the tie when working in the station.

The bomber jacket could do with a redesign because as Deadwood says it does tend to channel the rain down onto the back of your neck.

The trousers needs replacing with something alot more practical. Combats would work and still look smart enough.

The boots are very good but the belt should be waterproof as one of my notebooks found out!!!!

The hi-viz is not actually very hi-viz in the dark even when car lights are shined on it from any sort of distance.

The standard issue torches are not very good at all. I'd recommend LED Maglite with adjustable focus lens. Believe Surefire are also a good brand.

ScubaDave

Polo shirts to wear during nights would be cool!

New vests which allow you to carry kit on them would also be nice

Eru

A proper fitting stab vest instead of the current one that for some reason points outwards at the ends and come on, a pocket or two wouldnt hurt. Combats. Poloshirts or at least a proper blue shirt. Lose the tie. Have to lose the current cap, its not waterproof, it blows away, has to be carried if your running and is a bitch in the summer when you sweat and also in the winter when it gets wet. Baseball caps are better, more practical and for the government, cheaper.


Oh and nearly forgot, burn the damn hi vis.

In fact, take a look at the mountainbike uniform, smart and practical.

deadwood

I have one of these issued to me, in black - with matching pull-ups!


I might ressurect them.

eroo

I think ye getting something like the NYPD has would be good, with polo shirts. I think the hat ye have now is fine, and it looks good. Just give ye those waterproof covers for them and that would probably sort that. A baseball cap would be a bit too casual imo.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Boot polish brushes would be a nice addition too, with proper instruction given on their use

I've often compared the garda uniform to ours (Defence Forces), and putting aside that it looks dreadful it would appear to be totally impractical. Your pants should be combat style in rip resistant material, with season issue's (light for summer, heavy for winter).

When you were getting the stab vests it would have made sense to look at a vast with some load carrying capacity and get rid of that stuff you have on your belt.

Your cap should be replaced by a baseball style cap too.

deadwood

Mairt wrote: »

Your cap should be replaced by a baseball style cap too.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooo..........

opti76

i agree with getting rid of the cap. it serves no purpose bar funnelling rain down the back of the jacket onto my neck

TheNog

eroo wrote: »

Just give ye those waterproof covers for them and that would probably sort that. A baseball cap would be a bit too casual imo.

I would be in favour of keeping the cap style but we need a different type of cap that is breathable and most of all washable!!!!!!!!

TheNog

Mairt wrote: »

Boot polish brushes would be a nice addition too, with proper instruction given on their use

Mairt, you're dead right. Some of the boots I've seen are a total disgrace. Although sometimes during a shift there will be times our boots will get dirty but there is no excuse for having dirty boots at the start of a shift.

deadwood

The grubby booots (hallowe'en, geddit?) look bad. I think the manufacturers say we should only used the stuff provided as polish might compromise the kryptonite proofing...or something.

brayblue24

deadwood wrote: »

I have one of these issued to me, in black - with matching pull-ups!


I might ressurect them.

Yup, have the same kit in the attic. Or else I sold it on Ebay, can't remember really. I wear the mountain bike gear on the rare and unwelcome occasions I have to drive an official vehicle. All members should be issued with the mountain bike jacket at least. Terrific kit that.

deadwood

Remember those rubber trenchcoats? Issued one but never worn. I think they were just clearing out stores at the time. Always thought they looked quite smart when I saw them - but smelled terrible. A bit like myself!

donvito99

Shorts anyone?:D

donvito99

IMO the hi viz that community officers wear is pretty bad, the bomber jacket that traffic corp have is much better. But I did see an excellent hi viz at the marathon on monday. Not quite the mountain bike one.

deadwood

TheNog wrote: »

I would be in favour of keeping the cap style but we need a different type of cap that is breathable and most of all washable!!!!!!!!

Done!

Eru

eroo wrote: »

I think ye getting something like the NYPD has would be good, with polo shirts. I think the hat ye have now is fine, and it looks good. Just give ye those waterproof covers for them and that would probably sort that. A baseball cap would be a bit too casual imo.

in fairness eroo this might be one you should stay out of, you dont wear the uniform.

agree with nog on the boots. No reason not to have a decent looking set but some people have them years without a lick of polish

deadwood

Karlitosway1978 wrote: »

in fairness eroo this might be one you should stay out of, you dont wear the uniform.

Ah, in fairness, Karl!
It's uniforms we're chatting about.

Eru

deadwood wrote: »

Ah in farness, Karl!

You made a typo, you made a typo. Finally!

deadwood

Karlitosway1978 wrote: »

You made a typo, you made a typo. Finally!

You're quick! Didn't ven have time to edit!

deadwood

Damnit. Twice!:D

TheNog

Karlitosway1978 wrote: »

in fairness eroo this might be one you should stay out of, you dont wear the uniform.

I don't think eroo should stay out of the discussion. That way we can have thoughts from members who wear the uniform and from the public who see us in the uniform and their perception of it such as "I would be intimidated to approach a guard if he was wearing pink combats" type thingy.

There is no harm in getting opinions from both sides.

Jay112

eroo wrote: »

I think ye getting something like the NYPD has would be good, with polo shirts. I think the hat ye have now is fine, and it looks good. Just give ye those waterproof covers for them and that would probably sort that. A baseball cap would be a bit too casual imo.

We are issued with waterproof covers for the hat, or condoms as some call it

eroo

Well Karl, as a member of public I can tell you I wouldn't think Gardai would be approachable wearing baseball caps. Nor would they be wearing berets like the Italians.

I just think the hat looks good, professional if you will. Also, if you have baseball caps then female Gardai will have the minor hassle(hassle nonetheless) of fitting their pony tales through the back of it every time they put it on or take it off.

I do event stewarding and we have baseball caps with company logo on them. Some lads pull it down so you can barely see their eyes. Not very approachable looking for public. Others have the cap in such a way they wouldn't be amiss with their pants tucked into their socks, and being named 'Anto'. Basically, some look like bags of ****e! That's just my opinion of baseball caps.

the locust

Berets are for paramilitaries and indicate 'force' and a quasi military presence.

The current cap is so old fashioned, its ridiculous to foreigners and is unpractical... Get over the whole tradition thing! There are museums we could be proud of, but we are holding onto the history to let them be!

Baseball caps work in loads of other places so why not Eire? They do the job of providing vision in rain/sunlgiht, and send out the right signals (of authority and identity) and they are coo!l? What is your arguement against cool! (and communtiy policing ha?)

Unapproachable? Surely if you need the Gardai, a baseball cap wouldnt put you off going over and talking to them if you really needed them? If it says GARDA on it - its not Anto 'break your windows' McDonagh from finglas!

PS - Does anyone else notice the cultural shift? Skanger scum aren't wearing baseball caps anymore, they aren't in season - its hoodies et al that are in at the moment! I for one certainly think now is the time for the Gardai to shift to baseball caps!

And... Not army, but smart looking combat trousers like the RSU got with plenty - accessible pockets and tough enough fibre for the job! But are still smart to look good in. Any other police service keeps the uniform we would use for parade only! Can you say 'Operations' and 'parade/ceremonial'!?

And!!! a stab vest with more than one pocket!! To evenly distribute all the crap we carry. I can run like the wind - but with the belt around my waist heavy laden i just look stupid running down the street after some eejit and have to slow down trying to hold on to my belt making sure it doesnt snap or come loose!!

Don't get me started on the boots!! They need ankle support which means they have to be tall boots, like defence forces issue type. Smart trousers hide the military tough look so quiet down with that 'they look too aggressive' argument! We are required to run after suspects over walls, fences, uneven ground in the dark and at the end of the day are emergency services so we need boots that are up to the job not jolly boots or half size hiking boots. Spend the money and get us the right stuff, the money is there!!

Glock pistols and pepper spray are another which i'll wait for!

metman

I think baseball caps look rubbish. I'm glad we don't have to wear em. Even Trojan tend not to wear em now. Its only really plain clothes unarmed types that wear identifying baseball caps nowadays.

As regards headgear, I like my flat cap. We dont ordinarily wear headgear on uniform patrol, but I tend to wear my cap as and when. On public order duty a well worn-in flat cap is an essential piece of kit

FGR

the locust wrote: »

Glock pistols and pepper spray are another which i'll wait for!

At least we'll get the Pepper Spray. Highly doubt the Glock considering we live in an era of non lethal weapons..

..

..and even then they're afraid to let us carry something that remotely resembles a firearm.

ScubaDave

Dont forget lads, we always have the "riot clip"! Thats a sign of a good guard, a man (or woman) who knows how to slip that sexy bit of leather under his chin to keep track of that cap!

djtechnics1210

Plain clothes members wear baseball hats and i have yet to hear any member of the public complain about them, must have said that they believe their more practical, of course the odd few will give ya the military style speech but these are very few. Polo shirts and combats would be much more effective. the dog unit combats look very well.

the locust

ScubaDave wrote: »

Dont forget lads, we always have the "riot clip"! Thats a sign of a good guard, a man (or woman) who knows how to slip that sexy bit of leather under his chin to keep track of that cap!

I kid you not, but i actually saw a member of the regional traffic in Dublin working a mat checkpoint with his 'riot clip' on the whole time...

I couldn't help but stare at him for ages in amazement... he made me want to try it just for the craic, God it was hypnotic and ridiculous all at once!

brayblue24

the locust wrote: »

I kid you not, but i actually saw a member of the regional traffic in Dublin working a mat checkpoint with his 'riot clip' on the whole time...

I couldn't help but stare at him for ages in amazement... he made me want to try it just for the craic, God it was hypnotic and ridiculous all at once!

He he he. It's funny 'cos it's true

Eru

eroo wrote: »

Well Karl, as a member of public I can tell you I wouldn't think Gardai would be approachable wearing baseball caps. Nor would they be wearing berets like the Italians.

Why the hell not? Im sorry Eroo but thats just silly. You wouldnt approach a police officer because of what he wears on his head? I fail to understand this mentality.

Basically you wont approach 90% of US police, North or South American police and half of european police because they dont wear old fashioned hats? Do they become somehow incapable of performing their duties?

jill_valentine

My gut reaction would be that a baseball cap looks a bit unprofessional. I mean, if you're gunning down street kids in a favela, then yeah, it's the business, but otherwise...

And a big no to berets. No. Just no. Whenever I've been abroad, and a cop in a beret goes by, I always feel like I'm about to get a cavity search.

Eru

jill_valentine wrote: »

My gut reaction would be that a baseball cap looks a bit unprofessional. I mean, if you're gunning down street kids in a favela, then yeah, it's the business, but otherwise...

And a big no to berets. No. Just no. Whenever I've been abroad, and a cop in a beret goes by, I always feel like I'm about to get a cavity search.

I doubt very much the Brazilian police wear caps or hats going into such areas. In fact I know they dont however please note that they do have uniform caps not that different to ours. Does that make them professional and approachable?

Remember people said vests would look militant and make us unapproachable but thats not the case, nor is it the case with ASPS and nor will it be the case with pepper spray. Were police officers not customer service in Dunnes stores, we need items that work. Our uniform should not be primarily based on whats friendly looking.

Seriously, if you dont have to wear and work with it then please at least try to put yourself in our shoes before making a decision on what we have to wear and use.

jill_valentine

Dude, I'm not in charge of your headgear. It's cool. That's just my instinctive reaction, it's the perception I associate with those uniforms.

If I was in charge of your headgear though, for what it's worth, I'd pick the baseball cap over the berets...

yayamark

I think our uniform is changing for the better.

If you look back 10 - 15 years back our uniform was pretty outdated and now is looking like a police uniform should.

Theres been a lot of changes but with our job they dont want to change every thing over night eg asp, pepper spray, rsu,

I can see many more changes coming down the line but the baseball cap for the regular is a good bit down the line.

donvito99

Random wrote: »

I reckon it would look much more professional and daunting (this is the wrong word .. but I can't find the right one) if it were black like the majority (if not all?) of the UK ones.

I would hate to see the guards uniform turn black. IMO its like changing garda to police. I'm proud that were different in this country, eg. we dont have are own spin on police ie. Polizei, Polis etc. The blue is every bit as part of that.

When I say I'm proud that the Gardai are different, I just mean by name, not equipment wise or anything like that.

donvito99

However black does look well on this occasion. How would regular members fell on wearing black leathers with silver 'GARDA' day to day?:D

SEXY

ps should I delete numbers on shoulder?

deadwood

Here you go.

FGR

I think it's inappropriate to post pictures of yourself on boards.ie, Deadwood.

Save it for private messages, please.

metman

deadwood, see you been hitting the gym, good effort.

Now all we need is an indian and a builder and our YMCA crime-fighting force will be complete......

jill_valentine

See? Much better than baseball caps.