By LETRE SWEETING

Tribune Staff Reporter

lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

 POLICE officers handling traffic can now be seen wearing new uniform tops — all white shirts with recognisable police insignia and crests.

 Deputy Police Commissioner Leamond Deleveaux, who spoke to reporters on Tuesday, said the decision was made some two weeks ago to better protect traffic officers from the weather.

"I know you have seen the police officers for traffic wearing the new uniforms. This was decided by the team to change particularly the top of the uniform,” Mr Deleveaux said.

 “It’s a dry fit and what it does is it protects the officers from the sun. So you will see those officers there in uniform, they have the police marks written on the back of their shirts, in addition to crests and their police numbers. So they’re very easily identifiable. So the public need not fear in trying to identify the officers.

 “This is the traffic officers and you will see some similar thing with the bicycle units from Downtown, of course they will be easily identifiable by their numbers. Their numbers are printed on their shirts or in the case where the rank is inspector or above, inspectors don’t carry numbers,” he said.

 Two weeks earlier, traffic officers could be seen on the streets wearing official pith helmets, white uniform coats with a belt and dark blue trousers, skirts or motorcycle breeches with a red stripe down the outside of the leg.

 The new white uniform shirt is long sleeved and made with the lighter dryfit material. It has the word “Police” on the back of it and on the front right side there is the traffic logo, the police officer’s number and the Royal Bahamas Police Force Logo.