Police Scotland Beard Policy

[Paul L]

It seems Police Scotland are making it's front line staff shave off their beards.

Police Scotland officers ordered to shave off beards

The force said it was necessary so officers and staff could wear protective FFP3 masks.

www.bbc.co.uk

imo they have a good case, regarding the RPE. I need to use a similar mask while using some pesticides at work (without it I would have been dead long ago)

Any thoughts on this?

 

[Redbandit]

I was in the military for 28 years and wasn’t allowed a beard. All to do with respirator seals.

 

[hotmetal]

As a clean shaven person I have no skin in the game. The cynical side of me thinks "what do they know that we don't? Pandemic 2.0? Widespread use of CS gas for the expected unrest?" But I've run out of tin foil, so...

You'd think that if they can make exemptions for cultural reasons then everyone should be offered the choice, otherwise perhaps they're leaving themselves open to claims of discrimination against people whose culture isn't deemed worthy of exemption.
There will be exemptions for religious, cultural, disability or medical reasons. In these circumstances, the force is seeking to introduce an alternative type of respiratory protection.

 

[Paul L]

As a clean shaven person I have no skin in the game. The cynical side of me thinks "what do they know that we don't? Pandemic 2.0? Widespread use of CS gas for the expected unrest?" But I've run out of tin foil, so...

You'd think that if they can make exemptions for cultural reasons then everyone should be offered the choice, otherwise perhaps they're leaving themselves open to claims of discrimination against people whose culture isn't deemed worthy of exemption.
There will be exemptions for religious, cultural, disability or medical reasons. In these circumstances, the force is seeking to introduce an alternative type of respiratory protection.

Here-in lies the issue.
'Alternative'masks cost more money.
At my job for years it stated in the 'handbook' that front line staff must be clean shaven (safe use of pesticides). Now that wearing a beard is commonplace, there are 'other' masks available - at literally 3X the price of the regular Sundstrom ones.
For arguments sake, half of front line police are male, and half of them have beards - at £150+ per specialised mask adds up to a pretty penny.

 

[Duffers782]

Whilst the respirator seal was and still is one of the reasons for 'must shave' policy, surely this is only pertinent when they go into masks that need the seal? Even in the Army, Sikh and Muslim soldiers with beards used to be able to use a wax/grease compound that they worked into their beards around the respirator to make the seal. Could this not be a solution??