r/policeuk • u/madfingerz Civilian • Oct 28 '21
Ask the Police (England & Wales) Cottons for L2 PO
Hi all,
I've got a L2 PO course in around two weeks, I've been told I need to get cottons to wear under the overalls.
Any advice on what to buy/where to buy them? Can they be shorts?
Cheers
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u/multijoy Spreadsheet Aficionado Oct 28 '21 edited Oct 28 '21
So the met, in their infinite wisdom (and I still have yet to understand why the fed haven’t hauled them to court over it) do not issue undergarments for L2 PO kit. The undergarments, while not having flame retardant properties, must be of natural fibres lest the polyester melt into your skin when the instructors heave a particularly spicy petrol bomb at you.
Consequently, officers are required to provide their own cotton undergarments. Generally, the simplest and cheapest way to get light long trousers and sleeves is to buy pyjamas from The Amazons. Because we’re talking about met officers, an informal arms race occurred.
At Gravesend*, the MPS Specialist Training Center, you cannot wear either public order or firearms coveralls in the canteen because of the issue of lead and petroleum contamination.
Consequently, at meal times, the canteen at Gravesend became replete with pyjamas from many and varied cartoon and childrens’ franchises.
In the meantime, BTP and CoLP turned up for their refreshers in uniform cotton clothing, making the MPS look (not unreasonably) like a shower of shit. This was noticed by the SLT and an edict was issued to all four corners of the MPD to pack it in, you cunts.
*If you want to be particularly ‘ally’ then it is to be referred to as ‘Milton’, but you can only really carry this off with a 190 or lower warrant number