The Metropolitan Police is facing criticism over its failure to introduce new police uniforms to mark King Charles’s reign.
Two years after the Queen’s death, it is still issuing uniforms with the old royal cypher to new recruits.
That puts the Met at odds with other forces, including Greater Manchester Police, who introduced a new cypher for the King several months ago.
It blames a cost-conscious Home Office for the approach – though the Home Office insists decisions on uniforms are made by police chiefs.
It comes as Met police boss Sir Mark Rowley last month revealed a black hole in the force’s finances reached hundreds of millions of pounds.
Dai Davies, former head of royalty protection at Scotland Yard, said: ‘All officers swear allegiance to King Charles, but how can you do that wearing the late Queen’s cypher? It is bizarre.
‘The Met need to provide a specific date for when the uniforms will be changed. The current situation shows their incompetence and failure to look beyond their own nose.
‘Even better, the government should introduce a national police uniform with the royal cypher. This would save millions.’
When the King’s Coronation was held in May last year, eyebrows were raised that officers policing the ceremony would continue to wear the ‘E II R cypher’ for the late Queen.
At the time, the Met said it had been advised by the Home Office not to change the uniforms unless they were worn out and needed replacing.
But more than a year later, officers guarding Buckingham Palace still do not have the King’s emblem, which combines his initial C with R for Rex – the Latin word for king – and III.
This newspaper has also seen evidence of helmets issued to new recruits this year that still have the late Queen’s cypher.
When put to the Met, a spokesperson said: ‘The Home Office have advised forces to take a ‘no cost’ approach to changing uniform. This means that as uniform is required to be replaced through normal wear and tear, and issued to new recruits, the CR III emblem will start to be rolled out.’
They added that this approach ‘will be phased over the coming months and years’ but would not provide a specific date.
However, the Home Office insist they are not aware of any such guidance and maintain that ‘decisions on uniforms are made by chief officers’.