A POLICE force will become only the second in the country to use baseball caps instead of helmets - which critics say 'look like they work in Burger King'.

The unisex caps - named 'bump caps' - are being rolled out across Gloucestershire police over the coming weeks.

But they have received mixed reaction - and other forces across the UK stopped wearing them after a trial period due to the public's response.

Last November, Northamptonshire stopped using them because they did not "portray the right image".

Thames Valley also halted a roll out after members of the public said it made the police look like they were working for Burger King.

The hats, which are lightweight but sturdy, allow officers to clamber in and out of vehicles without removing them.

Bobbies in the Cotswolds and the Forest of Dean are among the first to take delivery of the new headgear but all frontline police officers will have to wear them.

Sergeant Mark Burns was happy to don his cap, which arrived on Monday, and said he is already used to wearing the reinforced baseball style headgear on searches and similar duties.

"The bump helmets are far more practical," he said. "They don't fall off and they offer more protection."

The officer said the spin off benefit is that it made the police more approachable for young people.

He admitted not all colleagues approved of the changes - but officers cannot opt out because it is important to maintain a distinct corporate image.

"There has been a bit of a mixed response because a lot of people like the traditional old custodian helmets," he said.

"But we are a uniformed service and it's important everybody looks the same and that when you are working with other forces you can always tell a Gloucestershire police officer."

Cheshire police was the first to use the bump caps in 2016 and Mike Harrison of the Gloucestershire Police Federation said there was a big debate about following the lead.

But he said the Federation had not received any complaints from members who did not want to wear the new headgear.

He said: "They are a big break with tradition but we support bump caps because they offer the same protection as the old custodian hats and are a far safer option than the flat caps.

"There was a lot of debate initially and we did a trial period, but the feedback was very positive because they are more practical.

"We have retained the traditional hat for ceremonial purposes but the caps will be worn for front line operational duties and nobody has said to us that they don't wear them."

In November last year the Chief Constable of Northamptonshire Police, Nick Adderley, reversed a move to bring in bump caps to replace the old fashioned headgear on day to day duties.

Nick tweeted: "I do not believe that the caps portray the right image of the force and the public support this view".

But supporters say as well as offering more protection, the new hats will remove gender-based headgear that can be a barrier to non-binary transgender people applying to join the police service.

A spokesman for Gloucestershire Constabulary said: "Gloucestershire Constabulary introduced a single hard cap (bump cap) to replace the traditional headgear of police officers and PCSOs following careful consideration and consultation.

"The bump cap, unlike some traditional styles of headgear, can be worn whilst driving and is widely thought to be safer, practical, comfortable and inclusive whilst providing a consistent visual appearance for our officers and PCSOs.

"We appreciate that traditional headgear is an iconic element of our uniform and distinguishes British police officers around the world so we were aware that the change could have a negative impact.

"We conducted a local survey and the 284 replies indicated a fairly even split, thought the largest percentage was in favour.

"The bump caps contain an inner High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) liner with foam cushioning which offers all round protection and so improves the health and safety of police officers and PCSOs.

"The increased visibility and wear-ability is also supported from a health and safety perspective. Traditional headwear will still be worn for ceremonial duties."

According to Wikipedia, of the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales, 39 are currently using the traditional custodian helmet in one capacity or other.

Gwent Police and North Wales Police swopped traditional headgear for baseball caps in 2007 but in 2010/12 both announced they would be going back to peaked caps and helmets because baseball caps are seen as unprofessional and difficult for the public to recognise. All forces in Wales now wear the Custodian helmet.

Thames Vally Police stopped using the traditional helmet on 2009 but brought it back in 2018 after a survey halted the introduction of bump caps because the public said they made police look like they worked in Burger King.

Lancashire, Cheshire and Northamptonshire police brought in bump caps in 2017, but Northamptonshire has gone back to the traditional helmets because the Chief Constable believes they portray the wrong image.

A survey by Northamptonshire Police found male officers and PCSOs preferred a flat cap to both Custodian helmets and baseball-style hats but these were rejected because they could not provide an adequate standard of protection.

Greater Manchester Police tried to phase out the custodian helmets around 2012 but within a few months they dropped the peaked caps and brought back the traditional headgear for those below the rank of Inspector.

Humberside Police has new design entirely and uses their own "squat" helmet which is considerably shorter than the normal size helmets.