Name/Title
Sussex Police female inspector's tunic c1990Entry/Object ID
HC4Description
Black wool female police inspector's tunic with four small buttons to the front, two waist pockets, and epaulettes on the shoulders. Attached to each epaulette is a small button and two chrome plated metal Bath star insignia. All buttons are chrome plated, marked with a Queen's crown and "Sussex Police" and stamped to the rear "Grantham". On each lapel is a Sussex Police coat of arms shield badge. Inside on a label is marked "J. Compton Sons & Webb Ltd By Appointment to Her Majesty The Queen uniform Makers" and on another label "J.Compton Sons & Webb Ltd. Sussex Police Female Jacket Size 16s Bust 96 Length 66".Use
For use by a female inspector in Sussex PoliceContext
In May 1970 Sussex Constabulary began trials of the "Hartnell" women's uniform, which had been in use in the Metropolitan Police since 1968, having been designed by couturier Norman Hartnell. However the force did not adopt it and continued to use a tunic with four pockets, all with buttons.
Instead, in 1972 Sussex Constabulary in line with many other police forces, adopted what was known as the "Surrey style" uniform for its female officers. This consisted of a short tailored tunic, normally with only two waist pockets, epaulettes and no belt. This style of tunic, with some variations, continued to be issued to female officers in Sussex until 2002, when tunics were withdrawn for all but limited ceremonial occasions. These variations included reducing the number of front buttons to three and removing the epaulettes.
This particular tunic has "Sussex Police" buttons which date from 1974 onwards. It has four front buttons and epaulettes, which indicate that this is a model of tunic that pre dates the mid 1990s. Later female tunics issued in Sussex Police, do not have epaulettes and have three plain buttons, only marked with a crown. The maker, "J. Compton Webb" supplied tunics to Sussex Police in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and all of these factors suggest this tunic dates from around 1990. The two Bath star insignia or "pips", signify the rank of inspector.