South Yorkshire Police's multi-million pound uniform bill revealed amid criticism over rising costs
The figures have been released amid claims Yorkshire police forces routinely destroy wearable garments instead of giving them a thorough wash
The multi-million pound figure South Yorkshire Police has spent on uniforms over the last three years has been revealed, amid claims the force replaces instead of reusing wearable garments.
An investigation by Custom Embroidered Patches UK has shown that South Yorkshire Police (SYP) spent a total of £2,428,278.00 on uniforms, between the 2023/24 and 2025/26 financial years.
The new figures show uniform costs rose from £769,415.00 in 2023/24 to £887,532.00 by 2025/26.
A SYP spokesperson attributed the rise in costs to “inflation and rising officer numbers”.
However, Custom Embroidered Patches UK claims the standard process within South Yorkshire Police “dictates that uniforms not deemed in good condition go directly for shredding and safe disposal”.
A spokesperson for the firm, which offers uniform solutions and advice to organisations across the country, said: “The widespread practice of destroying or discarding used kits across Yorkshire borders means thousands of perfectly functional garments are wasted.
“Constabularies are forced to continuously spend hundreds of thousands of pounds purchasing completely new uniform replacements.”
Elsewhere in Yorkshire and the Humber, West Yorkshire Police recorded the highest expenditure, spending a total of £3,709,939.72 over three years.
Their costs peaked at £1,315,084.86 during 2023/24, before dropping to £1,135,130.96 by 2025/26.
North Yorkshire Police recorded a total uniform expenditure of £1,581,359.00 over the three years. More than £50,000 of that was spent on badges and insignia alone - £56,447.
The Custom Embroidered Patches UK spokesperson added: “Despite sky high prices, North Yorkshire Police confirmed that it sifts through decommissioned uniforms via their Logistics Department, and any uniform that is worn and has had skin contact - such as tops and trousers - is collected and immediately destroyed.”
Humberside Police’s total expenditure came to £2,544,429.00 across the same financial period. Their costs hit a massive £982,231.00 during the 2024/25 financial year alone.
Custom Embroidered Patches UK says it believes that costs could be drastically reduced if forces focused on thoroughly cleaning and reusing serviceable garments instead of routinely destroying them.
“These numbers highlight the truly staggering financial burden that regional police forces currently face when equipping their officers for the front line,” a spokesperson said.
“When millions of pounds of public money are spent year upon year, the logistical challenge is clear, but these costs could be drastically reduced.
“Specialised police garments cannot simply be discarded due to severe security risks. It is absolutely vital that constabularies continue to adopt robust recycling strategies, ensuring taxpayer money is protected.”
A South Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: “As a force, we share our communities’ expectations that police officers present themselves professionally.
“As well as helping the public recognise officers, uniform is also Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) designed to maintain the health and safety of officers in every unpredictable environment they find themselves in.
“Any planned spend on uniform and equipment, like everything else, goes through a strict governance and procurement process.
“This ensures that the spend is necessary and that the items are fit for purpose and value for money. Increasing spends in recent years can be attributed to inflation and increasing officer numbers.
“In the interests of sustainability, used items are returned centrally where suitable items are cleaned and re-issued.”