Bearded Chief Superintendent (retired) says Police Scotland clean shaven policy could be relaxed
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A FORMER police chief superintendent who sported a beard for most of his 32 years service believes the new clean shaven policy proposed by Police Scotland could be relaxed.
Police Scotland plans to implement the policy from May 29, insisting the move is necessary – following lessons learned during Covid – for frontline officers and staff to wear new personal protection FFP3 face masks when required.
Laurie Stewart (68) noted that exceptions will be allowed on medical and religious grounds, and believes male officers who want to sport a beard should be allowed to do so.
Mr Stewart said: "I understand that to enable them (masks) to work, the people wearing them have to be clean shaven, and I accept that.
"What is interesting is that they are going to make exceptions for medical and religious grounds, and they are going to provide alternative masks in those circumstances.
"If that is the case then why can't they do that for everyone who wants to sport a beard to do so."
Related: 'I'm clinging on to my beard'
Mr Stuart, who lives in Elgin, joined the police aged 22 from university.
"That was in 1977 and I have kept the beard. I only shaved it off once and that was when I went down to the south of England to do a course on chemical, biological and nuclear warfare.
"As part of that course we had to go into has chamber, which was filled with CS gas and we then had to take our mask off and say a phrase or a sentence, so we could see the effect of the gas.
"The only way you could wear the mask was if you were clean shaven."
Mr Stewart said when he joined the force, there were few officers with beards.
"It was not very common at all and I was told I had to trim it very neatly, which I did."
Mr Stewart was superintendent for the Moray division for a number of years with Grampian Police, prior to taking up a Chief Superintendent role with the former Northern Constabulary.
He retired from the force in 2009 and worked in the NHS for six years before retiring.
Throughout his 32 years police service and since retiring, he has sported a beard.
"I grow it from September onwards because I have a special job in various places across Moray," he added.
