A POLICE chief has spoken of her fears that officers could lose their traditional bobby-on-the-beat image.

In her annual Garstang Lecture, Lancashire Chief Constable Pauline Clare said the force faced a dilemma about over-arming officers and changing their style of uniform.

She told an audience at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Blackburn: "Police officers are increasingly being required to work in an environment of personal risk while being provided with uniforms and equipment that do not afford the maximum protection.

"In the near future they will have bullet-proof vests and may even carry CS gas canisters.

"We are now looking to go one step further with a complete change in the uniform worn by officers.

"Health and safety legislation due to come into force in 1997 will directly impact on the police and to some extent has forced our hand. "The result is a far more para-military style which I find difficult to reconcile with the bobby on the beat image that most people recognise."

She added: "The danger is that officers become unapproachable to the public and the macho image takes the place of the caring professional.

"Research that has been carried out supports the view that most police officers are keen to retain the traditional helmet which is seen by many as the recognisable face of policing - I agree.

"The type of equipment provided to police officers must provide a balance between protection and projecting the right image."

Mrs Clare also spoke of the need for police to show they are accountable.

She said: "If the police service cannot justify the actions they have taken and the strategies they have developed, then confidence in them will be lost."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.