The government has issued a gazette notification announcing the return of police uniforms featuring a combination of deep blue and light olive colours.
Under the new directive, police personnel will wear khaki trousers alongside colour-coded shirts depending on their unit. The notification was issued by Police Headquarters and signed by Inspector General of Police (IGP) Md Ali Hossain Fakir.
According to the gazette, district and other unit police members will wear deep blue shirts, while members of metropolitan police units will wear light olive-coloured shirts. Khaki trousers will be mandatory for all personnel across the force.
However, several specialised units, including the Armed Police Battalion (APBN), Special Protection Battalion (SPBN), Special Branch (SB), Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), have been kept outside the scope of the change, meaning their existing uniforms will remain unchanged.
The move comes amid ongoing discussions over police reform following the political changes on August 5, 2024, during the July mass uprising, when demands were raised for revising police identity and appearance, including uniforms.
Earlier, a meeting of the Advisory Council Committee on Law and Order on January 20 last year decided to redesign police uniforms. An iron-coloured uniform was subsequently introduced and officially brought into use on November 25 last year.
However, the change received mixed reactions within the force. Field-level officers reportedly expressed discomfort with the new design, questioning its suitability in terms of appearance and practicality, while some also raised concerns about public perception.
Following the formation of the BNP government on February 17, the Bangladesh Police Service Association on February 24 requested a review of the uniform decision.
The association argued that the interim government's selected design did not consider weather conditions, suitability for different skin tones or feedback from personnel. It also said the new uniform resembled those of other agencies, creating confusion in identification and drawing criticism over its implementation without broader consultation.
