Name/Title
PR24 baton holder c1994 - 2001Entry/Object ID
1263Description
Black polycarbonate circular baton holder with handle retaining ridge, attached to a plastic belt loop by a black painted metal clip. The belt loop has 2 press fixings to allow attachment to a belt and is marked inside "Monadnock Fitzwilliam USA".Use
For police officers to use to carry PR24 batons on a beltContext
In the early 1990s there was growing concern in the UK about the rise in knife crime and the safety of police officers, and in particular whether the traditional wooden 15 inch truncheon was an adequate means for officers to defend themselves with. As a result in June 1993 the Home Office announced trials of three types of longer batons to take place with various police forces. Sussex Police was one of the forces selected to trial an extendable side handled baton for six months starting in January 1994 (Patrol December 1993).
Eventually the Home Office approved the use of longer batons for all officers, once they were suitably trained. In Sussex the extendable side handled baton was reserved for some specialist officers and most uniformed officers were instead equipped with the fixed length solid polycarbonate version. However it's adoption was not uniform across the UK, with some police forces such as the Metropolitan Police adopting the Arnold straight baton, and others preferring a straight telescopic "Asp" type baton. The fixed length solid side handled batons were carried in a plastic loop like that pictured, attached to a leather belt, without any retainer. The ridge on the holder is designed to stop the baton's side handle from spinning around.
In the early 2000s, Sussex Police discontinued use of the PR24 and began to replace them with extending metal telescopic batons, which were also manufactured by the same company Monadnock. The PR24s had proven to be too aggressive looking, impractical especially when running and also required far too much training and practise to enable them to be used to their full potential.