For the first time in five decades, the Karnataka Police will sport a new look. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday unveiled a navy blue peak cap for police constables, replacing the traditional slouch hat introduced in 1973.
Launching the new cap at an event in Vidhana Soudha, Siddaramaiah said the move symbolises the beginning of broader reforms. “I personally chose the P-cap to replace it. This is just a start. We also need change in the performances of the forces and their duties,” he said, after distributing the new caps to personnel. Now, women constables, who earlier donned khaki berets, will also wear the new peak caps like their male counterparts.
ಪೊಲೀಸರ ಯಶಸ್ಸಿನಲ್ಲೇ, ಸರ್ಕಾರದ ಯಶಸ್ಸಿದೆ!
— DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) October 28, 2025
ಯಾವುದೇ ಸರ್ಕಾರ ಬಂದರೂ ನಿಮ್ಮ ಆತ್ಮ ವಿಶ್ವಾಸ ಹಾಗೂ ಕರ್ತವ್ಯ ನಿಷ್ಠೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ರಾಜಿಯಾಗಬಾರದು. ಒಂದು ವೇಳೆ ರಾಜಿ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಂಡರೆ ಸಂಪೂರ್ಣವಾಗಿ ವ್ಯವಸ್ಥೆ ಕುಸಿಯಲಿದೆ. ಯಾವುದೇ ಕಾರಣಕ್ಕೂ ರಾಜಕೀಯ ಹಿಂಬಾಲಕರಾಗಬೇಡಿ.
ವಿಧಾನಸೌಧದ ಬ್ಯಾಂಕ್ವೆಟ್ ಹಾಲ್ ನಲ್ಲಿ ಪೊಲೀಸ್ ಸಿಬ್ಬಂದಿ ಪೀಕ್ ಕ್ಯಾಪ್… pic.twitter.com/gKDvLYWJON
Practical issues with slouch hat
Home Minister G Parameshwara said that while the slouch hat was a legacy of the British era, it had become outdated. “During rains, it would become heavy and was not aesthetically appealing. Even in 2015, there was a proposal to change it, but it couldn’t materialise,” he recalled.
Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar was also present at the ceremony.
A timeline of Karnataka police uniform
Before Karnataka took its present form in 1973, the state’s police force, then under Mysore, had a distinctly traditional look. Constables and junior officers wore a khaki peta, a thick cloth turban wrapped tightly around the head. After the state was renamed Karnataka, the wide-brimmed slouch hat replaced the peta.
The red-and-blue striped ceremonial turban from the colonial era continued to feature in official parades.
Interestingly, during British rule, Indian officers sported slouch caps, while their British counterparts wore peaked ones. In 1982, the police briefly experimented with a British “Bobbie-style” custodian helmet, paired with navy-blue trousers and white shirts.
The look didn’t last long, abandoned due to the humid local climate and a fondness for khaki.
By 1986, officers returned to their familiar khaki uniforms and slouch hats. Nearly four decades later, the Karnataka Police have once again undergone a style evolution. The ageing slouch hats were replaced with navy-blue peak caps after studying designs from several other states.