Police can have beards and tattoos

FRENCH police may now have beards or tattoos after strict rules on appearance were relaxed.

The Force Ouvrière union says it took two years of negotiations following “strong grassroots demand” however police are now officially allowed to have tattoos as long as they are not racist, political, religious or xenophobic.

They may also have a beard if it is “well groomed and compatible with wearing equipment”. Previously, beards were only allowed if special permission was obtained.

This comes shortly after a working document drawn up by the national police leadership was leaked in the press, which warned that more and more candidates are sporting looks that are too ‘iconoclastic’ or ‘fanciful’ and said they could be told to get a haircut or a shave if their look was not sufficiently well-groomed.

The union’s national secretary in charge of working conditions, Yves Lefebvre, said: “If we want a police force that is in touch with their communities we have to adapt to society and update the regulations, which date from 1974”.

The rule change might mean that Paris police will soon be sporting the so-called ‘hipster cop’ look that a Twitter user spotted in London recently...

I know that hipsters like looking uncool but this is ridiculous! #riotpolice #walthamstow #hipstercop #fecalbeard pic.twitter.com/J8VvBeuFMl— Guy Smallman (@GuySmallman) May 9, 2015