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Curator's Corner: The Police Helmet

  • Writer: Katherine Mabbs
    Katherine Mabbs
  • Jun 27
  • 2 min read

June 2025 Edition


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This month’s Curator’s Corner dives into the history of one of the most recognisable symbols of British policing: the custodian helmet. For over a century, it’s not only been an iconic part of the uniform but a badge of authority and a connection to policing tradition.

But where did it come from, and how has it changed over time?



The custodian helmet was first adopted in 1863 by the Metropolitan Police, replacing the stovepipe-style top hat worn by officers since Robert Peel’s creation of the force in 1829.[1] The helmet was inspired by the Home Service military helmet, which reflected Victorian fashion and practical needs. The helmet was made to be tall enough to be visible in a crowd, and strong enough to provide minimal protection.[2]


Originally made of cork or hardened felt and covered in serge or wool, the helmet featured a badge at the front, often a ‘Brunswick Star’, and sometimes a spike or comb on top.[3] The style spread across forces in England and Wales during the late 19th century, including here in Bradford, where city policing rapidly expanded due to industrial growth and population increases.


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The Bradford Borough Police, founded in 1848, began adopting the custodian helmet in the latter part of the 19th century.[4] The custodian helmet quickly became the standard issue for beat officers. Helmets provided not only visibility and uniformity but also a degree of protection during public order duties.


The helmets used in Bradford often bore a distinctive badge featuring the city's coat of arms, complete with the boar's head and fleece that reflect Bradford's civic identity and wool trade heritage.


From the 20th century onwards, police helmets evolved. Post-WWII versions included reinforced linings for crowd control, and some were issued with chin straps or even built-in communication devices. However, from the 1990s, many forces began phasing helmets out for daily use in favour of peaked caps or baseball caps, citing comfort and practicality.[5] The West Yorkshire Police replaced the traditional helmet for a peaked cap in 2015, due to the cumbersome nature of the custodian helmet.[6] Yet, it endures as ceremonial dress and in public order policing.


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[1] Custodian helmet, Wikipedia. 10 April 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Custodian_helmet

[2] Home Service helmet, Wikipedia. 29 June 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pith_helmet#Home_Service_helmet

[3] Custodian helmet, Wikipedia.

[4] Bradford City Police, Wikipedia. 25 April 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradford_City_Police

[5] History of law enforcement in the United Kingdom, Wikipedia. 11 May 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_law_enforcement_in_the_United_Kingdom

[6] West Yorkshire Police Scraps Traditional Helmets, BBC. 22 January 2015. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-30938989

 
 
 
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