Bangladesh Police introduced new uniforms on Wednesday, with some officers beginning duty in dark blue or light olive shirts paired with khaki trousers.

The new uniforms were visible at the inauguration of the newly-built Barkau Police Camp under the Purbachal New City Project, where Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ali Hossain Fakir wore a dark blue shirt with khaki trousers, while Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Mosleh Uddin Ahmed wore a light olive shirt with khaki trousers.

DMP Media and Public Relations Additional Deputy Commissioner Niaz Mehedi told The Daily Star that officers have started wearing the new uniforms from Wednesday, though distribution is still ongoing. The rollout will be gradual, he said.

The Police Headquarters issued a notification on June 18 revising the dress code and reinstating dark blue and light olive shirts. It also introduced khaki trousers for all personnel, the first such change since 2004.

According to the notification, district police and most units will wear dark blue shirts, while metropolitan police will wear light olive shirts. Trousers for all personnel will be khaki.

The revised dress code will not apply to Armed Police Battalion (APBn), Special Security and Protection Battalion (SPBn), Special Branch, Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), whose existing uniforms will remain unchanged.

The uniform change follows ongoing discussions on police reform, including a decision last year to revise the dress code. The previous iron-grey uniform was introduced on November 25 last year.