Bedfordshire Police splurged over £1.5m of our money on new uniforms

An investigation by Custom Embroidered Patches UK reveals the force spent a massive £1,575,575.18 on uniform procurement across THREE FINANCIAL YEARS.

This spending occurred between the 2023/24 and 2025/26 financial years. The figures raise immediate questions about wastefulness, revealing that perfectly serviceable items are essentially thrown away rather than washed.

Bedfordshire Police costs fluctuated, jumping from £493,596.10 in 2023/24 up to £608,730.25 during 2024/25, before dropping to £473,248.83 in 2025/26.

The constabulary opts to recycle returned items into the waste stream.

Some garments are even used as refuse-derived fuel for the National Grid, with nothing going to landfill – but these uniforms could simply be washed and given a new lease of life.

Instead of re-issuing clean gear to front-line recruits, the force continuously spends hundreds of thousands purchasing completely new replacements. This staggering expenditure even extends to smaller accessories, with taxpayers footing the bill for expensive insignias.

Bedfordshire spent £27,968.22 on badges in 2023/24, which rose to £30,039.35 in 2024/25 and £30,889.07 by 2025/26. Grand totals for badges and uniforms peaked at an eye-watering £638,769.60 during 2024/25.

A spokesman for Bedfordshire Police said: “We are committed to securing the best possible value for money from our uniform and equipment, while ensuring officers and staff have safe, suitable kit that meets the high standards rightly expected of policing.

“More than £420,000 of the force’s expenditure over the past three years relates to items that can be recycled or reused where appropriate, including body armour, batons and metal work such as badges and insignia.

“Any uniform returned in an unworn condition that is suitable for reissue is also placed back into stock for future use.

“It is also important to recognise that expenditure has increased in line with the increase in the number of officers across the force.”

Thomas Green, founder and director of Custom Embroidered Patches UK, said: “These numbers highlight the truly staggering financial burden that regional police forces currently face when equipping their officers for the front line.

“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.”