UK Armed Police Loadout

[Rogerborg]

Nothing illegal wearing police kit on private land. Impersonation is all about intent, bit like stolen valour.

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Whether it's private land or not has no relevance to the offence.  It's all about intent.  Consider that you could be impersonating with intent on someone else's land.  In fact, someone who turns up at an airsoft site dressed up as a copper might be committing an offence depending on whether they're just there to play the game, or whether they shout "Armed rozzers, down on the ground, you slaaags."

The offence of mere possession also does not require you to be in public and does not require intent.  It's a guilty until proven innocent by providing a "lawful purpose" offence.  However, it turns out that the scope of what constitutes a lawful purpose is much wider than you might imagine.

Case law can be found at https://www.bailii.org and I'd suggest an advanced search along the lines of "Police Act 1996" AND "section 90", narrowed to case law.

Here's the most recent and relevant case, from the Court of Appeals in 2015:

https://www.bailii.org/cgi-bin/format.cgi?doc=/ew/cases/EWHC/Admin/2015/3312.html&query="police+act+1996"+AND+"section+90"

A trader (http://www.britishbobby.co.uk/) was convicted of possession at Crown, but cleared at Appeals.  Possession for selling to the public without performing any checks on the identity or the intent of the buyer was held to be a lawful purpose.  Parliament should clarify the scope of S90 if they disagree.

The significant part for potential purchasers / owners:

"Articles of police uniform can lawfully be possessed for a wide variety of purposes, other than the performance of police duty. The following is a non-exhaustive list: theatrical, film or TV performance by actors (amateur and professional) in the role of a police officer; wearing at fancy dress parties and similar events; collection and display in a museum; private collection for personal enjoyment;"

Now, I'd consider that last one to be far too broad, as it essentially says that wanting to possess them constitutes a lawful purpose for possessing them. But who am I to argue with Mr Justice Mitting?

The tl;dr version is that in England and Wales, you now have a strong defence for possession if you can show any sort of reason for wanting it.  I wouldn't fret about it, just don't flaunt it in public, and don't ever pretend to actually be a copper, even briefly as a prank.

 

[heroshark]

Never mind UK armed response unit, you should go for a £700 swat loadout.

 

[_stylian_]

Good analysis, Rogerborg, makes me feel better.

 

[clumpyedge]

If you do go with either the police or CTSFO load outs there are files for a 3D printed taser for melee kills (you could try and mod to maybe fire a shotgun shell or something like that) or just as a kit add on for the looks.

 

[Seven]

Just my 2p but you could get a tac vest with Velcro panel on the back and get a big POLICE patch for it. Just remove the patch when you leave the Airsoft site if, perhaps, you are walking home with it or whatever.

There is a guy at my local site (depot) who has a police replica loadout and it looks pretty good.

Imho it's just like military replicas in the way that as long as you're not a dick about it and think or act the real deal, nobody is gonna say or do anything about it.

 

[Arwen]

As has been touched on by others, you can dress up as a police officer all you want. The crime comes if you actually try and act like a police officer while dressed as one (so fooling people into thinking you have authority).

I've bought a lot of stuff from this seller on ebay - https://feedback.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=bluehat21&ftab=AllFeedback&myworld=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2545226.m2531.l4585  

They seem to stock a whole range of police things! 

 

[widowmak3r1989]

I think you should be ok if you don't wear it off site. (getting changed into it when you arrive at the skirmish location and before you leave). I have seen people do armed police loadouts before and some of them are really good.

 

[LordRonin]

@Rogerborg 

Time for me to try source kit to look like Armed Police Officer

 

[1st commando]

.from the words of armed police officers themselves . Wearing Police uniforms, patches and equipment (other than illegal weapons) is perfectly fine in an airsoft setting as long as you make no attempt to deceive or pass yourself off as a police officer to members of the public . Also if you commit any crime while in in possession of police uniform will see a whole raft of new charges being added to your prosecution .

Be sensible , only wear at the events. And for your own personal security , keep it out of sight when not at the event 

 

[Tommikka]

And for your own personal security , keep it out of sight when not at the event 

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Very important point there, for a few different reasons

Once on the way to a game we stopped off at the garage for early morning coffee & chocolates etc 

I then watched my mate walk out of the garage without a care in the world, paper under one arm, coffee in the other hand.  Nothing wrong with that.

But he was dressed in army ‘mixed’ dress.  A breach of army dress regulations if he was real, but fresh haircut from the day before, boots, combat trousers, regimental style t shirt.

Not walting, but to the casual eye an off duty squaddie, or the opportunist eye - an off duty squaddie not paying attention to his surroundings.

He didn’t give a shit when I told him, as all the squaddies do that .... until I pointed out that he’s not a trained dealer of death, and hasn’t had the latest local and national threat awareness updates 

Make sure that whatever you’re wearing you don’t look like something you aren’t, it’s not purely walting or impersonation.

I’ve even once had a comment in the street “not cool man”, for Enola Gaye branded clothing.

Out of context he’s seen that as a reference to Hiroshima & the slightly differently spelled  Enola Gay

A slightly innappropriate location, is the industry one of our guys works in takes him regularly to Sony’s UK headquarters where he is often wearing Enola Gaye casual wear 

 

[Albiscuit]

Very important point there, for a few different reasons

Once on the way to a game we stopped off at the garage for early morning coffee & chocolates etc 

I then watched my mate walk out of the garage without a care in the world, paper under one arm, coffee in the other hand.  Nothing wrong with that.

But he was dressed in army ‘mixed’ dress.  A breach of army dress regulations if he was real, but fresh haircut from the day before, boots, combat trousers, regimental style t shirt.

Not walting, but to the casual eye an off duty squaddie, or the opportunist eye - an off duty squaddie not paying attention to his surroundings.

He didn’t give a shit when I told him, as all the squaddies do that .... until I pointed out that he’s not a trained dealer of death, and hasn’t had the latest local and national threat awareness updates 

Make sure that whatever you’re wearing you don’t look like something you aren’t, it’s not purely walting or impersonation.

I’ve even once had a comment in the street “not cool man”, for Enola Gaye branded clothing.

Out of context he’s seen that as a reference to Hiroshima & the slightly differently spelled  Enola Gay

A slightly innappropriate location, is the industry one of our guys works in takes him regularly to Sony’s UK headquarters where he is often wearing Enola Gaye casual wear 

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I know its not usually something we would worry about, or even SHOULD worry about. But some very good points there actually..  I for one had certainly never given it any thought!!

 

[Prisce]

Very important point there, for a few different reasons

Once on the way to a game we stopped off at the garage for early morning coffee & chocolates etc 

I then watched my mate walk out of the garage without a care in the world, paper under one arm, coffee in the other hand.  Nothing wrong with that.

But he was dressed in army ‘mixed’ dress.  A breach of army dress regulations if he was real, but fresh haircut from the day before, boots, combat trousers, regimental style t shirt.

Not walting, but to the casual eye an off duty squaddie, or the opportunist eye - an off duty squaddie not paying attention to his surroundings.

He didn’t give a shit when I told him, as all the squaddies do that .... until I pointed out that he’s not a trained dealer of death, and hasn’t had the latest local and national threat awareness updates 

Make sure that whatever you’re wearing you don’t look like something you aren’t, it’s not purely walting or impersonation.

I’ve even once had a comment in the street “not cool man”, for Enola Gaye branded clothing.

Out of context he’s seen that as a reference to Hiroshima & the slightly differently spelled  Enola Gay

A slightly innappropriate location, is the industry one of our guys works in takes him regularly to Sony’s UK headquarters where he is often wearing Enola Gaye casual wear 

Click to shrink...

I had a similar situation last summer, was on the way to an Airsoft game, had camo trousers on Black t shirt. 

Motorcyclist had an accident in front of us. So we got out and helped, called the ambulance blah blah, went the whole 9 yards. 

When the paramedics got there they immediately assumed that we were serving soldiers, I immediately corrected them, said where we were going and what we were doing.

It did get me thinking if anyone else had a similar situation.