Employees are required to project an image that is consistent with a professional and disciplined law enforcement agency. Face, head, neck and hand tattoos are not permitted unless they are small/discreet in size/colour/location and can be appropriately covered while on duty.
Changes mean police officers will be able to have visible, non-offensive tattoos, and hair standards will no longer be gender specific. “SAPOL is aligning its standards to be a reflection of the community it serves. These changes are a major shift in our organisational culture,” Commissioner Stevens said.
Tattoos must not be offensive and can't be on the ears, face, head, scalp, or on the front or sides of the neck. Long hair must be worn appropriately to comply with health and safety rules. Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said the changes would ensure the force better reflected the community it served.
If you have body art (tattoos) or body modifications on the head, face, neck or hands please contact the Recruitment Branch before lodging your application. A recruitment officer can assist with assessing your eligibility. further information is contained in the body art and modification policy (PDF).
So, can cops have beards? The answer is…it depends. While most departments require officers to be clean-shaven, there are exceptions and accommodations that can be made for religious or medical reasons.
Most agencies have grooming standards for uniformed personnel that require relatively short hair. This usually means that the hair has to be cut so it is off the collar and above the ears. Women can have long hair, but it has to be put up to meet a similar requirement.
Worn so it does not interfere with the proper wearing and performance of the approved department safety helmet or the proper sealing of the face mask of the self-contained breathing apparatus. Uniformed personnel will be clean shaven; however, neatly trimmed sideburns and mustaches are permitted.
NSW police officers will be banned from having visible tattoos under a sweeping reform of the force's public image set to roll out this year.
No earrings, visible trinkets and necklaces, jewellery or piercings of any kind are to be worn.
The NSW Police Media Policy acknowledges that members of the public “have the right to take photographs of or film police officers, and incidents involving police officers, which are observable from a public space, or from a privately owned place with the consent of the owner/occupier”.
Visible tattoos are deemed unacceptable if they could reasonably be interpreted as: discriminatory, offensive, indicate of attitudes or views which are inconsistent with the College of Policing's Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Behaviour.
Tattoos are permitted if they do not depict or incite hate, harassment, or discrimination against individuals on the basis of the grounds listed in Canadian Human Rights Act, section 3. You may wear discreet personal effects on the body if they do not interfere with the effectiveness of personal protective equipment.
No tattoos/body art/brands on an applicant's face, head, neck, scalp, hands, or any part of the exposed body.
According to Queensland Health, home tattooing is not illegal but it recommends people use licensed tattoo businesses rather than purchasing a kit over the internet. There are no restrictions on the sale of tattoo kits, making them freely available to minors.
Firefighter Tattoo Policy
Tattoos must not be in any way offensive to women, children, race, minorities, normal customs and traditions, and your colleagues.
If the requirement is not reasonable in the circumstances, it could be discrimination. Example: An employer had a policy to refuse to hire any workers with visible tattoos, even for roles that involved no customer contact.
“A full beard (King George V style) or goatee-style beards are the approved beard styles,” the guidelines read. Officers must be cleanly shaven from the lower jaw to the shirt collar and moustaches cannot be wider than the outer edge of each eye or extend beyond the bottom edge of the upper lip.
Are Australian police allowed to be armed off duty? No, unless they possess a private license. In NSW, Victoria and Queensland's serving members can't even wear their uniforms to and from work let alone carry an issue firearm.
Australia. Police in Australia carry firearms which are personally issued to them. The Australian police forces are monitored by the Australian Institute of Criminology, which has recorded police shooting deaths since 1989. All fatal police shootings are subject to a mandatory coronial inquest.
Tattoos. In New South Wales you need to be 18 to get a tattoo. If you are under 18, you'll need your parent's permission. It's against the law for someone to tattoo you without your parent's permission.
NSW. In New South Wales you have to be 18 years old to be able to get a tattoo without your parents' permission. If you're under 18 you can only get a tattoo if your parent is with you when you get it, or you have written permission from your parents.
In New South Wales you generally need to be 18 to get a tattoo. A tattoo includes anything that results in a permanent mark being made on your skin, including branding, scarification or beading.
Not only do firefighters need comfortable clothes throughout the day, but many of them sleep in their uniforms in case of a late-night fire. If their uniforms are stiff and unpleasant, they won't want to sleep in them. That will force them to take longer to change before they can hop on the truck.
Facial hair is allowed as long as it does not protrude under the respirator seal, or extend far enough to interfere with the device's valve function.
Facial hair (like beards and sideburns) affect the seal on Respiratory Protection Equipment (RPE). This includes BA and face masks. Therefore all operational staff must be clean shaven, to guarantee a complete and safe face seal.