§ Mr. Cohenasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Commissioner as to why Metropolitan police marksmen have military style uniforms.
§ Mr. Giles ShawMetropolitan police officers who are authorised to carry firearms normally wear standard police clothing or plain clothes when doing so. But when firearms instructors are deployed to the sceme of an incident they wear berets because that is the most suitable headgear if rifles have to be carried. On very rare occasions the firearms instructors may have to be deployed urgently while still wearing their firearms range clothing, which consists of plain nylon overalls clearly marked with police identification numerals.