Saint John, N.B., police told not to wear ‘thin blue line patch’ on uniforms

Officers with the Saint John Police Force are being told not to wear “thin blue line” patches on their uniforms.

Pictures of an officer in the New Brunswick city wearing the patch in question were posted to social media last week, while the force itself tweeted a picture of another officer wearing the symbol last September.

The patches, adopted as a sign of solidarity among officers, depict a black and white Canadian flag with a blue line across the middle.

The force responded to the online image with a tweet Friday stating the patches are prohibited because they are not part of the uniform.

The tweet said officers had been reminded about uniform standards.

A spokesman for the Saint John Police Force referred to the tweet when asked for comment and declined to say whether officers’ uniforms had been inspected since the reminder was issued.