The custodian helmet is a type of helmet worn predominantly by male police officers in the United Kingdom and within certain other places around the world. First used by the Metropolitan Police in London in 1870, the BBC labelled the custodian helmet a "symbol of British law enforcement". They are worn by male constables and sergeants on foot patrol. A cultural icon, it has featured in films, TV series and other media involving British police.
History The custodian helmet is the headgear traditionally worn by male police constables and sergeants while on foot patrol in England and Wales. Officers of all ranks in most forces are also issued a flat, peaked cap that is worn on mobile patrol in a vehicle. Ranks above sergeant wear the peaked cap only. However, some inspectors wear the custodian helmet, but with two silver bands around the base (to match the two pips worn as rank insignia) to denote their position.
Claimed by some sources to have been based on the spiked pickelhaube worn by the Prussian Army,Major R. M. Barnes, p. 257, "A History of the Regiments & Uniforms of the British Army, First Sphere Books, 1972. it was first adopted by the London Metropolitan Police in 1863 to replace the "stovepipe" top hat worn since 1829. In 1863, the Metropolitan Police replaced the previous uniform of white trousers, swallow-tailed coat and top hat in favour of very dark blue trousers, a more modern button-up tunic and the early type of helmet which had an upturned brim at the front and a raised spine at the back, running from the bottom to the top of the helmet, which became known as the "coxcomb".
The early Metropolitan Police helmet had a "garter" style badge on the front of the helmet which had the officer's personal number and divisional letter in the centre, backed by a leather insert. This was surrounded by a wreath design which had the words "Metropolitan Police" around the outside and was topped with the reigning monarch's crown. This style changed in 1875, when an early version of the Brunswick star was adopted without the upturned brim seen in the previous style. There was much variety in the style of helmets during this period. The form of the helmets gradually converged with the "foreign service" and "home service" helmets adopted by the British Army in the late-1870s.
During the 1930s, the Home Office attempted to standardise the design of the helmets with the "Home Office Pattern", after it became evident that since the Metropolitan Police had adopted it and produced their own badge, many small county and borough police forces followed suit and individually adopted their own style badges and designs, which led to many different styles and designs. Some forces adopted the helmet without any badge; others designed their own, usually with the county's arms or crest in the centre. A few forces adopted slouch hats (reminiscent of those traditionally worn by the Australian military) and one wore a helmet in the familiar shape, but made of plaited straw.
The "Home Office Pattern" consisted of a helmet with the Brunswick star badge (commonly known as a "helmet plate") which would feature the reigning monarch's cipher, with the name of the force imprinted on the plate. The top of the helmet had a "rose top", which was a raised metal rose, largely used as an ornament to cover the ventilation hole. However, this standardisation process was largely unsuccessful, with many different designs being worn by today's police forces nationally.
Until the 1970s and, in certain areas, the 1980s, the helmet internally had only a sweat band to allow it to sit correctly on the wearer's head, with a single chin strap. The helmet plate and either a "coxcomb" or "rose top" fixed to the top of the helmet, were fitted by pressing the metal lugs attached to the badges through the helmet and then having small matchstick-size pieces of wood pushed through the lugs to secure them. Other helmet furniture included a "ball top" and in some cases a "spike top".
During the 1970s and 1980s, before specially adapted riot helmets were introduced, officers were expected to conduct public order and crowd control in the standard beat duty helmet. The cork construction provided little protection against attack and thrown missiles. In order to provide more protection, the construction of the helmets changed. Visually they remained the same, but instead of being constructed of cork they were now made out of a very hard-wearing plastic material and covered in felt. Internally, they were padded with foam fitted into the shell of the helmet with a webbing-style harness to allow it to sit on the head in the correct manner. Two chin straps were added at this time, a thin leather strap for normal duties, and a "public order strap" which was made of thick material and included a chin-cup to securely hold the helmet on the head. As well as these changes, helmet plates were altered so that the fixings on them were no longer lugs, but were prong-type pins which were inserted into the helmet and spread apart, so that if the helmet plate was hit by a missile, the lugs would not cause injury to the wearer. Although NATO riot helmets replaced the Custodians for public order, Custodian helmets are still currently used to control football crowds, and protests. As late as 2024, police used Custodian helmets for public order as riot gear was not available. During the London Riots in 2011, the British Transport Police and Metropolitan Police were equipped only with Custodian helmets, shields and batons. During the 2024 riots, a number of forces utilised Custodian Helmets as opposed to NATO helmets. One such force was Sussex Police where officers were deployed only with Custodian Helmets and utilised riot chin straps during unrest in Brighton.
All police forces in England and Wales have their own "helmet plates" attached to the front of the helmet, most of which feature the county's coat of arms/crest or the royal cypher in the centre. Also, most helmet plates now feature parts with coloured enamel, such as the force name or crest. The additional of enamel to helmet plates started around 1985; most forces before this had plain metal ones with no or little colour. Some forces also used "night plates" for unobtrusive use at night-time, usually darkened apart from the centre, instead of metal "day plates". This practice had almost completely ceased by 1973.
Police forces in the UK did not issue custodian helmets to Special Constables up until around 1995; however, those forces retaining the helmet now issue them to all male officers.
The traditional cork construction often led CID personnel to call their uniformed colleagues "woodentops" (the name of a children's TV programme).
Police Community Support Officers only wear peaked caps, which have a blue or grey band on them rather than the police officer's Sillitoe tartan to distinguish them from police officers.
The standard equivalent for female officers is a "bowler" hat. This is shorter, chequered around the rim, and structurally reinforced to equal the custodian's protection. Uniquely, Staffordshire Police issues custodian helmets to all female constables for level 2 public order duties (and level 3 when requested). Other forces may allow individual female officers to wear custodians if preferred, but will otherwise issue them with bowlers or flat caps by default.
Phasing out and reintroduction
Of the 43 Home Office territorial forces in England and Wales, 20 currently use the comb style, 18 use the rosetop style, and four use the ball style. Some forces wore spikes on top of the helmet, although these have now been completely phased out.
Since the early 1950s, helmets have no longer been worn by police officers in Scotland, but may be seen worn by Metropolitan Police officers when on Royal duties in Scotland. They ceased to be worn in Northern Ireland after the 1920s, except for night patrol work in Belfast and Derry until the early 1960s.
During 2002, attempts were made by police forces in England to replace the custodian helmet. Some forces adopted baseball caps for a very short time, but almost all reverted to the helmet or peaked cap. Humberside Police have adopted a "squat" helmet which is considerably shorter than the normal size helmets. This is currently in use.
Thames Valley Police discarded the helmet in 2009 due to budget constraints but brought them back for use in 2018 following a successful trial in Reading, whereas West Yorkshire Police announced that helmets would cease to be worn after 2015 because staff found them unsuitable for normal duties. West Yorkshire Police did, however, retain the helmets for use on ceremonial occasions. Lancashire, Cheshire and Gloucestershire Constabularies announced in February 2017 that as part of uniform changes their custodian, bowler and peaked caps were to be replaced by unisex reinforced baseball caps, known as "Bump Caps". A small number of the traditional headdresses were retained for ceremonial occasions.Lancestor Guardian, 8 February 2017
In 2006/7 Gwent Police and North Wales Police replaced all headgear in favour of baseball caps. In 2010/12 the two forces announced that peaked caps and helmets would return as baseball caps were seen as unprofessional and difficult for the public to see and recognise as police headgear. This change to revert to wearing helmets led to all forces in Wales to continue wearing the custodian helmet.
Greater Manchester Police attempted to phase out custodian helmets around 2011/12 in favour of peaked caps. A few months later the custodian helmet was brought back and peaked caps were no longer issued to officers below the rank of Inspector. This meant that the custodian was the only headgear worn by constables and sergeants at that time. However, since 2017 peaked caps and custodian helmets have both been issued for use on patrol.
Northamptonshire Police and Leicestershire Police both replaced custodian helmets with gender-neutral caps in 2017, but later reinstated them in 2019 and 2022 respectively.
Cheshire Constabulary reinstated Custodian Helmets in 2024 in an effort to increase high visibility policing. The move received "overwhelmingly positive" comments from the public. Superintendent Adam Ross, Force Commander at Warrington said "as well as being practical and distinctive they also form part of our rich history and what the public expects the Police to look like".
Of the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales, 40 are currently using the custodian helmet.
Description
Both chin straps can be folded up inside the helmet when not in use for more strenuous activity. Most officers choose not to use the chin strap for day-to-day duties.
All forces except the City of London Police, Hampshire Constabulary and West Mercia Police use the Brunswick star as the basis for their helmet plate. The helmet worn by members of the Isle of Man Constabulary is white, rather than blue, and officers of the States of Jersey Police on duty in St Helier wear white helmets during the summer months.
Production In modern production, hat makers take approximately 30 minutes to complete a single custodian helmet, all of which are made by only four companies: Hobson and Sons (London) Ltd; Christys, of Stockport; Compton Webb (C.W. Headdress Limited), of Oxfordshire; and Helmets Limited, of Wheathampstead.