Cleveland Police says a new badge adopted by the force will be rolled out gradually as part of a plan to manage the costs.
The force’s crest has swapped out the crown belonging to the late Queen Elizabeth II, replacing it with the one used by the current King Charles. The force said the proclamation of the new monarch meant police and other official organisations were required to make updates, but it was a “lengthy process”.
It also confirmed there was no additional funding to make changes to physical assets, such as signs on buildings and the livery on police vehicles, since this would not happen straightaway.
A spokeswoman told the Local Democracy Reporting Service permission had only recently been granted for the new crest following discussions with the Cabinet Office and the College of Arms. She said: “You will see Cleveland Police’s new crest featuring the King’s crown appear on digital assets and other materials.
“However, more substantial and physical assets such as building signage and fleet vehicles will be updated gradually as part of a long-term roll-out plan to manage costs. There is no funding provided for this change, as there is no additional budget required due to the way the new crest is being rolled out.”
Last year Cleveland Police Chief Constable Mark Webster was quizzed about a rebrand for several of its operational teams – including the tactical disruption team, firearms, the dog unit, roads policing, road safety and casualty reduction, search, football and public order teams – which became a single ‘Matrix’ team.
Vehicles were provided with wrapping carrying the Matrix logo, which includes a large ‘X’ against a bright yellow background, which it was claimed provided a highly visible deterrent to criminals and a reassuring presence for the public. Signs on a building used as a base were also changed with the £20,000 overall cost coming from the force’s existing budget.
Mr Webster said the Matrix concept, which originated with Merseyside Police, was “really good”. He told a meeting: “It has got brand recognition and actually it has really impacted with the public and people are really noticing it.
“Twenty thousand pounds is 0.01% of the force’s budget and it has been probably twenty thousand pounds among the best we have ever spent.”
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