Berlin Police Beg for Uniforms

Berlin's police department has been forced to accept parcels of 30-year-old second-hand uniforms donated by colleagues around the country because the German capital is so strapped for cash.

While in most parts of Germany the police are discarding their old-fashioned khaki green uniforms in favor of a new and smarter navy blue design, bankrupt Berlin has insisted that its officers continue wearing the old attire.

The city's police chief, Dieter Glietsch, sent an urgent memorandum to richer states, saying that Berlin's police would "gratefully receive new or used uniforms, because there are as yet no plans introduce the new blue uniform in Berlin". He assured his colleagues that Berlin would pick up the postage costs. In response, uniforms for male and female officers have been arriving from all over the country.

The move from khaki green to blue uniforms started in Germany two years ago, after an EU initiative to help the police build a more unified image across the continent, although there was no EU directive on this. The change was favoured in Germany because the khaki is said to too closely resemble army dress, and blue is seen as softer and more friendly.

Bodo Pfalzgraf, head of the police trade union, told the tabloid Bild that being the recipient of hand-me-downs was making Berlin's officers feel second-class. "The green-beige uniforms are 30 years old and no longer up to the European standard," he complained.