The National Police Agency yesterday announced the introduction of new on-duty uniforms for all police, as well as policies that would guarantee social housing units for police and firefighters.
A uniform ceremony was held in Taipei yesterday and was attended by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Minister of the Interior Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇).
All of the work uniforms that police have worn over the years were displayed.
Photo: Huang Yao-cheng, Taipei Times
The first set, worn from 1966 to 1988, was khaki in color and conferred a sense of authority, while the set that was used from 1988 up until yesterday was a light violet, the agency said.
The new uniform is dark blue, but retains the same cut and style as the previous uniform, it said.
Speaking at the ceremony, Tsai said that she had been closely following the change in uniform for the past two years, as “the uniform of the police symbolizes the responsibility of the nation” and represents the police force as a whole.
The public was consulted for the design, resulting in the police force’s new professional and clean-cut image, she said.
Hsu said that the change in uniforms does not symbolize a shift in responsibility.
As Tsai has expressed concern over the health of police officers, starting on May 1, police officers visiting any military hospital, hospitals managed by the Veterans Affairs Council and hospitals run by the Ministry of Health and Welfare would not need to pay for items that fall in the self-paid category, he said.
They would also not have to pay check-in fees when visiting military hospitals or council-run hospitals, Hsu added.
The government is starting to implement social housing projects specifically for non-ranking members of the police force and firefighters, Tsai said.
Based on statistics in Taipei, 10,000 police are living in rental housing, Tsai said, adding that the ministry would set aside 5 percent of all social housing projects to be prioritized for police and firefighters.
Eight locations have been selected to construct more social housing and the Ministry of the Interior is considering building social housing reserved specifically for police and firefighters on 1,210m2 of land in New Taipei City’s Jhonghe District (中和) that is registered to the agency’s Second Special Police Corps, Tsai said.
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