Name/Title
Sussex Police telescopic baton holder 2000 -c2015Entry/Object ID
2190Description
Black plastic and leather telescopic baton holder, with swivel mounting, stud fastening top security loop, bottom stud fastening loop and large leather belt loop to rear. Marked to rear "Peter Jones (ILG) Ltd Design Right" and on stud fasteners "Peter Jones ILG Ltd"Use
For carrying a telescopic baton on a beltContext
Sussex Police introduced the Monadnock PR24 side handled baton in 1995, with the majority of officers carrying the solid version on a belt loop attached to the then standard issue thin leather trouser/skirt belt. However a number of problems became apparent with these batons. They were seen as aggressive and were awkward to carry, they banged on officer's legs and were difficult to run with on a belt. They were also not securely attached to their holders and frequently officers found them falling out off of them or even left them behind after attending calls ! Of more concern was that to be used to their full capabilities officers required considerably more training and practice than was possible.
As a result in 2000- 2001 Sussex Police recalled the PR24 batons and began to train and issue officers with a telescopic baton sometimes referred to as an "asp". These were also made by the American company Monadnock, and could easily be carried in a holder like the one pictured. These batons were formed of three sections, could be extended with a flick of the wrist and had an unlocking button at the end of the handle, an improvement over previous simple friction lock types. What appealed to Sussex Police about the Monadnock version was that rather than having just a solid metal tip, they had a plastic cover over it that was thought to result in lesser injuries to anyone struck with a baton.
Sussex Police decided to use baton holders manufactured by Peter Jones Ltd. These had a swivel facility and two loops. One to secure the top of the baton and another to allow an extended baton to be still carried in the holder. It was also decided to issue officers wide nylon utility belts for the first time, with which to attach these holders and the increasing amount of equipment officers were expected to carry. Holders like this were used in Sussex Police well into the 2010s, though have slowly been replaced as different styles of baton have been brought into service that require different holders.