Tattoos have no effect on public’s view of police

AN overwhelming majority of the public said their confidence in a police officer to do their duty would not be affected if they had a visible tattoo, new research has shown.

In all, 81% of respondents to a survey insisted that a visible tattoo would make no difference to their confidence in the officer.

Further to that, 60% of those surveyed by Ipsos Mori on behalf of the Police Federation of England and Wales said they believe people with visible tattoos should be allowed to join the police service.

The results call into question those forces who have blanket bans on accepting recruits and transferees with tattoos that cannot be covered by uniform.

Vicki Martin, who has been leading on the work on behalf of the PFEW, welcomed the results. She said: “We should listen to what the public are telling us and respond accordingly.

“What we need to see now is a sensible approach to officers in the service and to potential candidates who want to join the service, otherwise we are missing out on a huge talent pool.

“Policies need to be modern and flexible to ensure the public get the best people delivering their policing, being representative of the communities we serve.”

One in three young people now have tattoos.

The research was undertaken earlier in the year because of the inconsistent way national guidance was being interpreted across the country among forces.

Guidance states that officers “should not have tattoos which could cause offence” It adds: “Tattoos are not acceptable if they are particularly prominent, garish, offensive or undermine the dignity and authority of your role.”

However, the guidance is open to interpretation and forces had been applying it in different ways.

The research will now contribute to a national working group that is looking at the issue with a view to drafting guidance to help forces achieve a national stance.