Name/Title
Sussex Police female officer's skirt c2001Entry/Object ID
247.2Description
Black wool female police officer's "A" line skirt, with eight belt loops, rear zip fastening, front and rear pleats, one hip pocket and two pockets to the front. Labels inside marked "Dewhirst of England" and "14R".Use
For use by a female deputy chief constable in Sussex PoliceContext
Until the 1990s most uniformed female officers in Sussex Police were required to wear skirts for much of the time. Previously they were only permitted to wear trousers on a limited basis at nights and over the winter. Over time this policy was relaxed, although the trousers issued were of a dubious fit and many female officers continued to wear skirts. It was only in 2010 with the introduction of a unisex uniform that all uniformed female officers in Sussex wore trousers as standard dress.
This skirt was worn by Deputy Chief Constable Maria Wallis together with a tunic (item 247.1) in around 2001. It is an off the peg skirt and is of an identical style to that issued to all uniform female police officers in Sussex Police at the time. It has belt loops for a uniform leather belt (item 247.3) which is shown here as well.