Why Devon and Cornwall Police spent £2.9m on new uniforms

Policing Cornwall and Devon costs money in dozens of small ways, and one of them is the clothes officers stand up in. New figures put a number on it. Devon and Cornwall Police spent close to £2.9m replacing uniforms across three financial years, and the company behind the figures says a chunk of that kit was destroyed rather than cleaned and handed back out.

The data came from Freedom of Information requests submitted by Custom Embroidered Patches UK, a firm that sells uniform and embroidery services to organisations. It has a commercial interest in forces reusing kit rather than buying new, and it has framed the numbers as evidence of waste.

What the figures show

Between the 2023/24 and 2025/26 financial years, Devon and Cornwall Police spent a total of £2,904,647.26 on uniform procurement.

The bill climbed from £861,255.56 in 2023/24 to £1,101,956.35 in 2024/25, its highest point across the three years. It then eased back to £941,435.35 in 2025/26.

Why used uniforms get destroyed

Force policy is that uniform accessories are handed back when an officer no longer needs them. But items are only picked out for re-issue if they are still “unused” or “unworn”.

That leaves a lot of worn but wearable kit falling outside the rules. According to the company, those garments are routinely sent for secure destruction, recycling, or charitable donation, and the force buys new replacements instead.

There is a reason police kit cannot simply be passed around freely. Specialised uniform carries a security risk if it ends up in the wrong hands, a point the company itself acknowledges. That limits how much serviceable clothing a force can realistically put back into circulation.

How the other forces compare

Devon and Cornwall was not the biggest spender in the region. That title went to Avon and Somerset Police, which spent £4,545,326.71 over the same three years. Its bill peaked at £1,668,114.99 in 2023/24, followed by £1,327,369.32 and £1,549,842.40. The company says Avon and Somerset holds no official uniform disposal policy and shreds unserviceable garments before disposing of them through a confidential waste to energy scheme.

Two neighbouring forces spent far less. Dorset Police spent £1,142,082.51 across the three years, with its outlay falling from £491,490.16 to £293,981.70. Wiltshire Police spent £1,219,178.00, dropping from £472,132.00 to £314,746.00 by the end of 2025/26. Wiltshire’s records also broke out badge costs, which fell to £5,399.06, and the force allows some unmarked serviceable uniform to be sold back to staff.

Both Dorset and Wiltshire follow the same restrictive approach of only re-issuing unworn garments.

The company’s case

Thomas Green, founder and director of Custom Embroidered Patches UK, argues the totals could come down if forces cleaned and reused serviceable kit rather than destroying it.

“These numbers highlight the truly staggering financial burden that regional police forces currently face when equipping their officers for the front line,” he said.

“When millions of pounds of public money are spent year upon year, the logistical challenge is clear, but these costs could be drastically reduced.”

Thomas added that the security angle cannot be ignored. “Specialised police garments cannot simply be discarded due to severe security risks. It is absolutely vital that constabularies continue to adopt robust recycling strategies, ensuring taxpayer money is protected.”

The firm, which offers uniform advice and services to organisations, is using the figures to make the case for reusing kit. Whether Devon and Cornwall Police change how they handle worn uniform is another question entirely.