14
Aug
2015
By Calvin at 10:17 GMT, 10 years ago
I subscribe to Police Oracle and almost fell off my chair this morning (due to a combination of shock and laughter) when I read the latest instalment about Gloucestershire Constabulary’s uniform policy requiring bearded police officers and PCSOs to wear beard nets. Their federation, who appear to have been in favour of the move, reckoned it was aimed at preventing unkempt beards. It has since turned out that Police Scotland had also considered a similar policy for ‘health and safety’ reasons (not supported by their federation) until there were some concerns that Muslim officers might leave the force as a consequence.
I have some personal experience of beards.
Back when I was 22 years old I had an annoying facial rash, so approached the Inspector on my relief to ask if I might grow a beard to cover it up. I was just about to go on leave for a couple of weeks and so, with some sympathy, he gave me his blessing. Mind you, he looked up the rules about beard growth in the big fat general orders book and told me that the beard would have to reach some distinction by the end of the night duty stint, which followed my two weeks off. So I had three weeks for the follicles to perform – and they did!
After about six months the rash had gone and so I shaved the thing off, but left the moustache and have been sporting said upper lip growth ever since.
Being a facial growth fan I have noticed recently that beards seem to be coming back into fashion and providing they’re kept tidy I cannot see any reason why they cannot be worn with a uniform. The health and safety argument is, of course, a complete nonsense, so I think these proposed policies are more about pogonophobia (a fear of beards) than anything else. I also think there are a whole lot more important things for certain pogonophobic police bosses to be considering at this time.
And it’s not just Gloucester Police having a bad hair day as I discovered on Wikipedia....
'Accusations of pogonophobia at the BBC'
In August 2013, Jeremy Paxman accused his employers of pogonophobia after he was criticized by many newspapers and social networking sites for presenting the BBC's current-affairs programme Newsnight whilst sporting a beard. Paxman said: "Unless you're lucky enough to be Uncle Albert on Only Fools and Horses, Demis Roussos or Abu Hamza, the BBC is generally as pogonophobic as the late-lamented Albanian dictator, Enver Hoxha." He later wrote: "The thing is, I don’t normally like beards," and noting how he'd become a "poster-boy" for the Beard Liberation Front, Paxman lamented that he was "finding it quite a heavy burden".
Former BBC Radio 4 and World Service broadcaster Robin Lustig, previously winner of 'beard of the year', also described the BBC as pogonophobic. Danny Baker of BBC Radio 5 Live disagreed and stated that: "I really do not think Jeremy Paxman should be granted a beard. It's corrupt. Disney had it right. Hey BBC – no news beards." Baker's remark about Disney is a reference to that company's long-standing ban on employees wearing beards, only lifted in 2012 nearly sixty years after its introduction.
So, if it’s now OK for Disney then surely it’s OK for the police!
Somewhere in my office I have a photograph of about thirty police officers standing in rows outside the old Action Police Station. They’re all stood to attention with their high stiff collars and look very smart indeed. It was taken around 1915 and you would be hard-pressed to find a face without a beard. Even those with no below lip growth are sporting the most wonderful moustaches complete with curly bits.
Leave the bearded ones alone!!
I’ll be back next week – keep ‘em trimmed!
Source http://www.policeoracle.com/news/'Officers-threaten-to-quit'-over-national-force's-beard-net-policy_89179.html You have to subscribe.
