Police return to dark blue and khaki uniform, metropolis to adopt light olive

The government has changed the colour of the police uniform. According to the new decision, the police shirt will be dark blue, the metropolitan police shirt will be light olive, and the trousers will be khaki.

The Police Headquarters issued a gazette notification in this regard on Thursday.

The notification stated that by virtue of the powers conferred by Section 12 of the Police Act, 1861, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), with the approval of the government, has amended the Police Dress Rules, 2025. Through this amendment, the previous regulations regarding the fabric and colour of the police uniform have been altered.

Following the excessive use of force and lethal shootings against student-public protestors during the July mass uprising in 2024, demands emerged to change the police uniform. The interim government, led by Professor Muhammad Yunus, had decided to change the uniforms of the Police, RAB, and Ansar. New uniforms were finalised for these three forces in January last year. Although the uniforms of RAB and Ansar were ultimately left unchanged, the police uniform has been modified.

In addition to the police shirts and trousers, the new notification introduces changes to the regulations regarding the colours of jerseys, cardigans, pullovers, jackets, women’s attire, head coverings, and full-sleeved garments.

Under the previous regulations, the police shirt was iron-grey, while the trousers were coffee-brown grey.

Amendments have also been made to winter wear. The notification specified that previously, an iron-grey full-sleeved jersey, cardigan, or pullover was to be worn over the 'iron-grey shirt'. The new regulation replaces this, introducing a dark blue full-sleeved jersey, cardigan, or pullover to be worn over the blue shirt.

Regarding jackets, the 'iron-grey jacket' has been replaced by a dark blue jacket. For the metropolitan police, a light olive jacket has been introduced. In other words, the jackets for general police personnel will be dark blue, while light olive jackets have been designated for the metropolitan police.

According to the notification, for the district police and units other than APBn, SPBn, SB, CID, and RAB, the trousers will be made of khaki TC twill fabric. The shirts will be of dark blue TC plain fabric. The shirt will feature four pockets on the front. There will be seven equidistant buttons on the front section.

The notification also provides detailed guidelines regarding the uniform of female police officers. Female police personnel may wear sarees if they wish. For the district police and other units, a dark blue blouse may be worn with a dark blue saree. For the metropolitan police, a light olive blouse is specified with a dark blue saree.

Furthermore, the notification states that female police personnel may use head coverings if they choose. Female police personnel deployed in traffic units are also permitted to wear full-sleeved shirts or blouses throughout the year. During pregnancy, female police personnel may wear civilian attire, subject to prior approval from the respective unit chief.

The notification has also determined the type of shirt according to the season. During summer, the shirt will be short-sleeved. In winter, the shirt will be full-sleeved. Regarding head coverings, it has been stipulated that they must be of the approved dark blue colour.