South Australia Police officers might start looking different, with Commissioner of Police, Grant Stevens announcing changes in dress standards.
Commissioner Stevens said the changes would mean police officers would be able to have visible, personal non-offensive tattoos with hair standards no longer gender specific.
“SAPOL is aligning its standards to be a reflection of the community it serves,” Commissioner Stevens said.
“These changes are a major shift in our organisational culture,” he said.
“All uniformed employees will be able have longer hair if they choose; however, the hair must still be worn appropriately at the rear of the head so as to comply with health and safety requirements.
“Visible non-offensive tattoos can also now be displayed, but they cannot be on the ears, face, head, scalp, front or sides of the neck,” he said.
The Commissioner said the changes could remove a barrier for some applicants who may not have previously considered SAPOL as a career because they wanted to retain their long hair or were concerned about covering up their tattoos.
“This is not about lowering standards but more so balancing dress standard policies to reflect societal change,” he said.
He said the professional look of police officers would not be impacted, as it was not a free for all approach to hairstyles or tattoos.
“To ensure the community was comfortable with these changes, SAPOL conducted public and organisational research to determine sentiment to the proposed move.”
Minister for Police Joe Szakacs welcomed the new dress standards for SA police officers.
“This change reflects the shifting community sentiment around tattoos and overall dress standards,” Mr Szakacs said.
“We hope it will encourage more people to see policing a career or choice if the dress standards had previously held them back from applying,” he said.
