Khaki’ coloured woolen beret caps being used by the Delhi cops since decades is soon going to be replaced with a lighter cap made up of cotton. Men and officers of the Delhi Police will get the modified version of the beret cap. The redesigned cap will be waterproof too. Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi has decided to provide his force a light weight cap against the older one that caused discomfort to the constabulary especially during summers because of its woolen fabric.
The woolen berets are heavy and not suitable for the policemen who work for long hours. These caps were inducted in the uniform of the Delhi Police in early 70s and were made mandatory for all personnel to wear with their uniform. Khaki beret cap is mandatory from constables to the Inspector ranks while the Gazetted Officers (GO) wear navy blue caps. Beret caps were introduced to replace ‘pagdi’ that was in place for the lower subordinates with the shirt and half pant. The Delhi Police has another P-shaped cap commonly called as ‘P Cap’ which is being used by the assistant sub-inspector to inspectors and commando caps with hood in front.
Easy to carry, a beret is a soft round cap which is worn by many oversees forces. It is a component of the uniforms of many militaries throughout the world since the mid-20th century. Such berets were first worn by a US Army unit. It fits snugly around the head, and the soft crown can be shaped in a variety of ways.
Special Commissioner of Police (Provisioning and logistics) Rajesh Malik told The Pioneer that the process of designing the lighter weight caps was in the process. “The personnel, especially who work on field for long hours, had often complained about such heavy weight caps which are made of wool. The new caps would be more comfortable due to its light weight composition materials mixed with cotton,” said Malik. Such caps are also water resistant and can be used in any season.
Another officer said that the cost of each woolen cap is around Rs150, which includes the stitching. The new one will cost them just around Rs50. The stitched caps with a Delhi Police emblem fixed in its front portion are distributed to the force once in a year with uniform.
“The new readymade woolen free caps are being designed by a private manufacturer and will likely be distributed to force with the dress at end of this year,” said the officer.