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.<\/p>\n
In all, 81% of respondents to a survey insisted that a visible tattoo would make no difference to their confidence in the officer.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The results call into question those forces who have blanket bans on accepting recruits and transferees with tattoos that cannot be covered by uniform.<\/p>\n
Vicki Martin, who has been leading on the work on behalf of the PFEW, welcomed the results. She said: \u201cWe should listen to what the public are telling us and respond accordingly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cPolicies need to be modern and flexible to ensure the public get the best people delivering their policing, being representative of the communities we serve.\u201d<\/p>\n
One in three young people now have tattoos.<\/p>\n
The research was undertaken earlier in the year because of the inconsistent way national guidance was being interpreted across the country among forces.<\/p>\n
Guidance states that officers \u201cshould not have tattoos which could cause offence\u201d It adds: \u201cTattoos are not acceptable if they are particularly prominent, garish, offensive or undermine the dignity and authority of your role.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, the guidance is open to interpretation and forces had been applying it in different ways.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n