The significance of the police uniform and its various changes over the centuries

The police uniform is a so-called civilian uniform. Like other civilian uniforms, its origin can be traced to military uniforms. As its name implies, a uniform must be uniform in appearance. In addition, it is to be officially regulated and have a certain degree of continuity. A uniform makes the officer recognisable and easy to see, and it is a symbol of the special authority and responsibilities that the uniformed officer is endowed with. In addition, the uniform adds to discipline and a common identity within the police organisation.

The police uniform is influenced by what kind of governing body its officers are representing. A central government is likely to create a standard uniform whereas local authorities tend to use local uniforms, permitting considerable diversity within a country. Until the beginning of the 20th century, law enforcement in Finland was twofold; in the countryside, where most people lived, the police represented the state, but in the few and relatively small cities, the police was part of the local administration.

In the Kingdom of Sweden, which at the time included Finland, the dress of members of different estates was regulated from the 17th century onward. In 1776, the first uniform statutes for civil servants of the eastern provinces (Finland) were enacted. During the Russian era of the 19th century, the civilian uniforms in Finland reflected the hierarchical society of the time, their design and carefully regulated details indicating the social status of civil servants.

After the police became directly subordinate to the state in the early 20th century, development toward a common uniform for the entire police force could eventually begin. As Finland gained independence, the previous uniform designs with their grand and expensive items were replaced with simpler uniforms. Whereas the old uniforms had been symbols of the imperial era and its social hierarchies, the new designs were based on the ideals of democracy and equality.

Development toward a common uniform can already be seen in the increasingly military features of urban police uniforms in the late 19th century. The military style prevailed until the Second World War, after which, in the early 1950s, a new uniform more civilian in appearance was introduced. A second trend in the history of Finnish police uniforms has been the increasing desire to make the uniforms comfortable and practical for daily use. Earlier, officers could deviate from the uniform statutes provided that special permission was granted, but particularly since the late decades of the 20th century, designers have first and foremost sought to make the uniform items as suitable as possible for various kinds of work.

Throughout its history, the appearance of the police uniform has been influenced by many other factors than the everyday work of the uniformed officer. The political agenda of the state, general social trends, prevailing values, economic resources, fashion, technological development, and even changes in international politics have had an impact on Finnish police uniforms, both by forming the ideals of what the uniform should be like and by setting limits for what could be implemented in practice.