What To Buy Someone Joining The Police: Practical Gift Ideas
Someone you know has passed the assessment, got a start date, and is about to spend months at a training centre being shouted at about their boots. It's a proper milestone and it deserves marking.
We design and print greetings cards, enamel pin badges and prints in the UK. We don't sell uniform, kit or equipment, so anything gear-related here is a recommendation rather than our own product.
The useful rule: don't buy anything the force issues, and don't buy anything with a crest on it. Buy the things they'll quietly discover they needed in week two.
Shop the cards that go with these
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Congratulations and new job cards
Drawn and printed by us in the UK, blank inside so you can write something that sounds like you. Posted the same working day where we can.
Whose Gonna Make The Brews Now? Leaving Card
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Congratulations! You Did It Graduation Card For Him
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Congratulations! You Did It Graduation Card For Her
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See You Later, Alligator (Funny Good Luck Card)
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The gift that gets used every single day
- A heavy-duty kit bag. Recruits are told to bring kit to training and to the station, and the issued holdall - where there is one - is rarely up to the job.
- Look for a wide opening, a reinforced base, separate boot and wet-kit compartments and a strap that survives a full load.
- Big enough for boots, a change of clothes, a wet weather layer and paperwork, without being so big it won't fit a locker.
- Black or navy. Nothing branded, nothing bright - officers generally don't want to advertise the job on the commute.
- Ask before you buy whether their force issues one. Some do, most don't, and the issued ones get replaced within a year anyway.
Small things they'll be glad of in week two
- Good boot socks, several pairs. The single most appreciated item on any training course.
- Boot polish, brushes and a cloth, boxed together. Bulling boots is a real part of training and nobody arrives prepared.
- A proper pocket notebook and a couple of pens that work in the rain.
- A decent flask and a lunch box that survives a locker.
- A watch with a second hand and a quiet alarm - phones aren't always to hand.
- A torch for the pocket, separate from the issued one.
- Blister plasters and foot cream. Unromantic, correct.
For the home front
- Blackout curtains or a good eye mask for the first run of night shifts.
- A slow cooker, for the meal that's ready whenever the shift ends.
- A drying rack and a sturdy laundry basket, because kit washing becomes a daily event.
- A card saying you're proud of them. Training is long and morale dips around week six.
- A dated note to open on their first day on division, written now.
What not to buy
- Anything with a police crest, force logo or rank on it. Use of the crest is restricted, and recruits are cautious about it.
- Novelty handcuffs. Every single recruit is given a set as a joke.
- Kit that must be force-approved: torches for the belt, body armour carriers, boots with the wrong specification.
- 'Thin blue line' merchandise, unless you know for certain they'd want it. Opinions differ strongly.
- Anything that only works with a uniform they haven't been issued yet.
Found your words? Now find the card
Shop congratulations cards Police passing out parade gifts Gifts for police officers UK What to pack in a police duty bag
How to write it so it lands
- Ask which force and which training centre - kit requirements differ.
- Post the card to their home for the first day rather than handing it over early.
- Give the bag before training starts, not after. Week one is when it's needed.
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Frequently asked questions
What do you buy someone joining the police?
Practical kit the force doesn't issue: a heavy-duty kit bag, good boot socks, a boot care set, a pocket notebook, a decent flask and a watch with a second hand. Avoid anything with a crest or force logo on it.
Does the police issue a kit bag to recruits?
It varies by force. Some issue a basic holdall, many issue nothing, and the issued ones are often replaced within the first year - so a good bag is a safe gift. Ask first if you can.
What should you not buy a new police recruit?
Anything carrying a police crest or rank, novelty handcuffs, and any equipment that has to be force-approved such as belt torches, armour carriers or non-spec boots.
What do you write in a card for someone joining the police?
Say you're proud, name the effort it took to get through the assessment, and keep it warm rather than jokey. Training is long and the card gets re-read in week six.
Do you sell police kit or uniform?
No. We design and print greetings cards, enamel pin badges and prints in the UK. Any bag or equipment mentioned here is an outside recommendation, not something we stock.