THE Metropolitan Police have been on something of an identity parade. Getting skinter by the day, the London force, which has had to find savings of £720 million since 2010 and must reduce spending by a further £325m by 2021, is to lend its branding to a range of goods in a bid to raise cash for frontline policing. A kind of Cash For Cops, you could call it.
Scotland Yard is emulating US forces such as the New York Police Department (NYPD), which makes millions of dollars a year selling merchandise. American policing is, after all, such a paragon of professionalism, with brand values like no other.
To create the new revenue stream, the Met has licensed the use of its logo, font and colour palette, images of its New Scotland Yard HQ sign and pictures of its officers on patrol. Branding firm The Point.1888 has been chosen to create a range of Met-branded products, which could include hoodies, baseball caps and cuddly toys.
Scotland Yard assured the public that the move would not allow people to impersonate police officers, with a spokesman saying: “Absolutely no products will be produced which directly reflect the uniform of the Metropolitan Police Service and any products which attempt to do so will be charged with intellectual property infringement.”
Branding gurus said the deal could be worth millions of pounds, but predicted Brits were unlikely to snap up the London force’s wares, pointing to foreign exports as the target market.
I reckon the concept could fly with Scots, though, were Police Scotland to go down the same (letsbe) avenue. When they’re not avoiding being stopped and searched, I’m sure our youth, fond as they are of hoodies and baseball caps, would be proud to sport a polis logo. It could even become the uniform of choice for budding miscreants, a kind of cult statement by way of a two-finger to the cops.
I can just see the news reports: “CCTV footage shows the suspect was of medium build, aged around 20, and wearing a Police Scotland hoody and baseball cap.”
As for counterfeiting, I’m sure The Barras would be awash with designer polis gear in no time, with police raids to seize goods taking on a somewhat surreal dimension.
Meanwhile, children will be clamouring for Huckle the Bear, the latest must-have Christmas gift. Squeeze his tummy and he growls: “You’re lifted, pal.”
The opportunities are endless. The Met also expects games, stationery and homeware to be produced as part of their licensing programme. Mugs could be a popular line. They could even be personalised – how about mugs with mugshots?
A special edition Police Scotland Monopoly could be a hit with board game enthusiasts, with Get Out Of Jail Free cards replaced by Get Out Of Jail Tagged cards. Community Chest would, of course, be replaced by Community Service.
As for homeware, for Scots on the wrong side of the law who do not pass Go and go directly to jail, perhaps a special Police Scotland spurtle would fit the old bill. Ideal for doing porridge.
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