Police forces spend £1m kitting out obese cops with XXXXL body armour & 60-inch trousers as drop in standards slammed

Comment now Next POLICE forces have spent around £1million kitting out chubby cops with supersized body armour and trousers. A Sun probe found forces have ordered 282 XXXXL vests big enough for a 68-inch chest in the past two years. The Met Police bought 82 pairs of patrol trousers with 50in waists and 88 pairs at 48in. The London force also had trousers specially made in sizes 56R and a staggering 60R. Advertisement Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Email address Please provide a valid email. Your info will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy You'll now receive top stories, breaking news, and more, straight to your email. Former Met detective Peter Bleksley said: “If you have a 60-inch waist or a 68-inch chest, you aren’t fit enough to be a police officer. “We’ve seen the standards that were enforced fade away and diluted to the point of being meaningless. It’s utterly ridiculous. READ MORE UK NEWS DEADLY STORM Two killed by falling trees as 84mph Storm Boelo leaves 160,000 without power TRAVEL CHAOS Power cut at major UK airport as hundreds stuck in 'two-hour security queues' “Officers should be fit enought to run, fight and detain a criminal. If they can’t do that then they should do something else.” Constabularies ordered at least 1,089 custom-made vests for cops who could not squeeze into standard sizes. Figures obtained through Freedom of Information requests revealed Cumbria Police alone bought 731 bespoke big-sized sets of armour, while Lincolnshire spent £83,962.70 on 149. Hampshire Police paid £46,955.60 for 41 sets. More than 1,200 officers in England and Wales failed a fitness test in 2023, but only two were sacked for it in four years. Most read in The Sun CLAMP CLIMBDOWN Reforms for migrants seeking permanent residence face being watered down GREEN RAP Greens branded 'racist' by major Jewish organisation after passing Zionism motion DAVID WOODING We had an 'honest discussion' about the EU, Andy… it was called a referendum THE SUN SAYS We need a serious PM & TikTok’s Andy Burnham shows no signs of being that man However, the acting national chairman of the Police Federation, Paul Williams, does not see it as a problem. He said: “Police officers run towards danger and put their lives on the line. Advertisement “They come in all shapes and sizes. Frankly, the public should be far more concerned about whether officers have body armour that can save their lives than the size on their uniform label.” Comment now