Tattoos should not be a barrier for new recruits

POTENTIAL police officers should not be prevented from joining the service just because they have tattoos, Essex Police Federation has said.

Officers at the force are considered on a “case by case basis”, according to Chairman Mark Smith, but those at the neighbouring Met have been banned from having tattoos visible on their hands or face since 2012.

Yet the Police Federation of England and Wales disagrees with this, saying a ban on visible tattoos imposed by many forces may hamper the recruitment of promising candidates.

Mr Smith agrees. He said: “We are in a different era to some of the people that are passing comment about tattoos. We have moved forward a long way. Many people have tattoos in all walks of life – young and old.

Essex Police’s recruitment policy states: “Tattoos are not a bar to appointment. However, some tattoos could potentially offend members of the public or colleagues, or could bring discredit to the Police Service. It depends on their size, nature and location, and sometimes on the extent.”

It goes on to say that tattoos will not be considered acceptable if they are deemed unprofessional or excessive; undermine the dignity and authority of the office of constable.”

Mr Smith added: “As long as the tattoo is not offensive, or is to do with an organisation that can be seen as offensive, then I don’t see a problem with it. We live in a modern world.

“We could be ruling out very talented people out there who could be very good police officers if there was a blanket ban on people with tattoos. I personally do not see the point in having a no-tattoos rule.”