Now Tory Brexiteer wants the police force to go blue too

Police officers without their hi-vis jacket. Photograph: Norfolk Constabulary. - Credit: Archant

After securing blue passports the Tory Brexiteers are continuing their mission to get everything to return to their favourite colour by calling for the police to follow suit.

Conservative MP Richard Drax has called for police forces to ditch their yellow hi-vis jackets and return to the traditional blue uniform.

Claiming that police officers now look like “a bunch of children on a sort of trail” he said that they should return to the colour “so we know what a policeman looks like”.

Drax was making the case as he called for more police to be put “on the beat” rather than “behind the scenes”.

He said: “From looking after people with mental health to picking up wandering dogs, this is not their job – their job is to catch criminals and to prevent crime, and a lot of their time is taken doing other tasks.”

He continued: “I understand the nature of crime has changed and more officers are now behind the scenes dealing with computer crime, online crime and all of those things. I get that.

“But that doesn’t negate the need for men and women in uniform – and not in the yellow jackets, can we get them back in their blue uniforms with the proper hats please, so we know what a policeman looks like.

“They stand for law and order, not a whole bunch of children on a sort of trail with yellow jackets all over the place.

“But we need more officers on the beat so that people can actually see them, the criminals who are about to commit a crime can see them, and that means foot patrols in our cities, our towns and our villages.”

The government revealed over the weekend that blue passports will start to be rolled out from March.