On Wednesday the new uniform and identity badges for Russian police officers were unveiled in Moscow. Russia's police will be issued with the new uniforms in stages, with 70% receiving them between 2012 and 2014.
On Wednesday the new uniform and identity badges for Russian police officers were unveiled in Moscow. Russia's police will be issued with the new uniforms in stages, with 70% receiving them between 2012 and 2014.
In 2012-2014, 12.5 billion rubles will be allocated to purchase the new uniforms, which will be enough to supply 70% of the country's law enforcement staff.
Replacing the uniforms will take place as planned and will not require any additional financing from the budget.
The overall cost of providing all police officers with the new uniform will be 16.5 billion rubles.
The estimated cost for one complete new uniform for those carrying out outdoor service has gone up by 4,600 rubles. The cost of a uniform for those working in hot or moderate climates is around 30,000 rubles, and about 35,000 for those working in cold or very cold climates.
The new police uniform was created by the famous fashion designer Igor Chapurin and two consultants from Mosfilm. Photo: fashion designer Igor Chapurin answers journalists' questions at the unveiling of the new uniform and identification badges for the Russian police service.
The everyday uniform, as well as the caps for officers and generals, have become lighter. The material for the uniform consists of 70% wool and 4% elastane.
The uniform for female officers has undergone a radical overhaul: they will be wearing new felt berets. After carrying out research, and on the advice of the airline Aeroflot, experts in the Ministry of Internal Affairs decided that the most comfortable shoes for women should have a 4.5 cm heel.
On Monday the new police uniforms were shown to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. He looked at samples of the everyday uniforms, lighter uniforms (for spring and fall) and dog handlers' uniforms. The president said the new uniform "looks pretty good, much more impressive than the old one."
The everyday police uniform has been trialed since 2007, as a result of which a gold-plated trim has been added to the collar of the general's coat, and a red trim has been added to the cuffs of the officer's jacket.
The change of image for the law enforcement officers is part of large-scale reform within the Ministry of Internal Affairs. An important component of the transformation was the adoption of the Bill on the Police, which came into force on March 1, 2011. In accordance with this document, the institution changed its name from militia to police, which the law's authors believe will serve to emphasize the professionalism of the rejigged law enforcement agencies.
