Police uniform and equipment

Although much has been written on many aspects of the police and policing in England and Wales there is surprisingly little on the development of the policeman's uniform, well known throughout the world, and on the equipment he carries. Beginning with the formation of the first police forces, this book describes the origin and development of the familiar uniform and the buttons and badges used by various forces. The equipment carried by a policeman enables him to defend himself if attacked, restrain his attacker once subdued, call for assistance or raise the alarm, and , if it is dark, see where he is going. While some equipment hardly differs from that issued to the earliest officers, advances in technology have ensured that other aids have changed out of all recognition.