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Custodian helmet
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Custodian helmet or centurion helmet is the correct name for the style of helmet worn by many police officers in England and Wales. It is the traditional headgear of the "bobby on the beat", worn by male constables and sergeants on foot patrol in England and Wales (with a flat cap being worn by officers on mobile patrol).
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Custodian helmet or centurion helmet is the correct name for the style of helmet worn by many police officers in England and Wales. It is the traditional headgear of the "bobby on the beat", worn by male constables and sergeants on foot patrol in England and Wales (with a flat cap being worn by officers on mobile patrol). Although some Scottish police forces used to wear it, no Scottish force has used the helmet in many years. The police in Northern Ireland have never worn it, although the Royal Irish Constabulary once used a style of helmet more akin to British Army helmets of the 19th century. The custodian helmet is also worn by the British Transport Police and Ministry of Defence Police (in England and Wales only), the States of Jersey Police, the States of Guernsey Police Service, the Isle of Man Constabulary, the Royal Gibraltar Police, and the Bermuda Police. Special Constables used not to wear helmets, but most forces in England and Wales now issue them to male specials. It was the wearing of this style of helmet that led to the Criminal Investigation Department using the rather unflattering term "Woodentops" to describe their uniformed colleagues.
The custodian helmet was adopted by the Metropolitan Police in 1863 to replace the top hat formerly worn, and other forces soon followed suit.
The helmet is traditionally made of cork covered outside by felt or serge like material that matches the tunic. Inside the brim is faced with a plain material and a leather head band adjusts the fit. The top of the helmet may have a comb and crest, a ball or a simple boss. Of the 43 Home Office territorial forces in England and Wales, 21 currently use the comb style, eighteen use the boss style, and only four use the ball style. Some forces wore spikes on top of the helmet, although these have now been phased out.
The helmet is kept on by a thin chin strap, though a more secure fitting was developed to keep the helmet on when it was used in riot control situations before specialist helmets were adopted. Some helmets have two chin straps - one for normal usage and one with a double strap and chin cup for more strenuous activity, which can be folded up inside the helmet when not in use. Many officers choose not to use the chin strap at all, however.
All forces except the City of London Police, Hampshire Constabulary and West Mercia Constabulary use the Brunswick star as the basis for their helmet plate.
Helmets closely following the British model were widely worn by the police forces of Canada, Australia and New Zealand from the late nineteenth century on. These were eventually discarded as being inconvenient to wear when in vehicles or providing insufficient protection from the sun when on foot patrol. The New Zealand Police retained a white version until the 1990s.
See also
- Pith helmet
- Police uniforms and equipment in the United Kingdom
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