Shocking new data has revealed the extent of taxpayer spending inside Dorset Police, as the force splashes over £1 million on new uniforms in just three years.
An exclusive investigation by Custom Embroidered Patches UK, using Freedom of Information requests, reveals the force spent a total of £1,142,082.51 on uniform procurement between the 2023/24 and 2025/26 financial years.
While Dorset’s outlays steadily declined year-on-year – dropping from £491,490.16 down to just £293,981.70 – the newly uncovered figures raise immediate questions about waste, revealing that even used items in good condition are routinely destroyed rather than cleaned and re-issued to front-line officers.
Official force policy dictates that all uniform and uniform-related accessories must be returned to the point of issue when no longer required or fit for purpose. However, these deposits are only selected for re-issue if they are strictly “unused” or “unworn”.
This means wearable, used garments are regularly filtered out for secure destruction, recycling, or charitable donation, forcing the constabulary to continuously spend hundreds of thousands of pounds purchasing completely new replacements.
The exact same restrictive policy of only re-issuing unworn garments is followed by nearby Devon and Cornwall Constabulary, where procurement costs are significantly higher.
Devon and Cornwall spent an eye-watering total of £2,904,647.26 across the same three-year period, peaking during 2024/25 at a massive £1,101,956.35 before dipping slightly to £941,435.35 by 2025/26.
Meanwhile, Wiltshire Police recorded a total expenditure of £1,219,178.00, with costs decreasing sequentially from £472,132.00 to £314,746.00 by the conclusion of 2025/26.
Wiltshire’s detailed records exposed specific badge costs, which fell to £5,399.06, while showing a slightly more practical approach by allowing certain items of unmarked serviceable uniform to be sold directly back to staff to offset budgets.
The massive financial impact of destroying clothing is most visible in neighbouring Avon and Somerset Police, where taxpayers are splashing out millions on uniforms.
Avon and Somerset topped regional spending by blowing a truly staggering £4,545,326.71 over three years, peaking at £1,668,114.99 during 2023/24 before spending £1,327,369.32 and £1,549,842.40.
The investigation confirms that no official uniform disposal policy is held by Avon and Somerset Police, who routinely shred unserviceable garments and dispose of them via a confidential waste to energy scheme.
The widespread practice of destroying or discarding used kits across regional borders highlights a major flaw in procurement, ensuring that taxpayer money is continually wasted on preventable replacements when items could be thoroughly cleaned and reused.
Thomas Green, Founder and Director of Custom Embroidered Patches UK, 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,” he 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.”
Custom Embroidered Patches UK offers expert uniform solutions and advice to organisations across the nation. You can book a free consultation or view services by visiting their website.
