French policeman are finally going to be allowed to let their hair down a little after unions won a battle to relax rules on officers sporting beards and tattoos, reports The Telegraph.
While London recently went wild over a 'hipster cop' spotted policing a far-right march, there have been no known sightings of any Gallic equivalents, with policemen in France famous for their short-cropped hair and clean-shaven look.
That could all change, however, after the force’s left-wing Force Ouvrière trade union representatives won a campaign for the right to grow beards and have tattoos.
“After two years of negotiations and as a result of strong demand from across the force, the union SGP Police-FO has obtained permission for officers to have beards and tattoos,” the union said in a statement this week relayed by Huffington Post France.
However, there are restrictions.
Beards, the union stipulated, must remain “short-cropped”, “neat and compatible with the wearing of equipment”.
Tattoos, meanwhile, “must not be racist, political, religious or xenophobic.”
“If we want the police force to be closer to the public, we need to adapt to changes in society and renew the rules, that date back to 1974,” Yves Lefebvre, national secretary of the union, told Les Echos.