Women police personnel have as much of a demanding job as their male counterparts, but they have a peculiar ergonomics problem: the official shoes that they are given are designed for men and, therefore, ill-suited to their feet.
That is set to change, as Tamil Nadu has commissioned a new design from the Central Footwear Training Institute (CFTI) here. The Institute has proposed slip-on shoes with polyurethane soles and silicone gel insoles.
The exclusive shoes will be made by Tamil Nadu’s prison industry wing. Women constitute 33% of the 1.2 lakh members in the State police force.
Footwear for police personnel has been supplied only by the leather factory in Vellore central prison. The Prison Department’s project with CFTI expertise will now produce lightweight and flexible shoes for women personnel. The State is ready with a budget. Additional Director-General of Police (Prisons) C. Sylendra Babu said the government had sanctioned ₹1.2 crore to set up a shoe unit for women. “The shoes will be designed taking into account the nature of work and ergonomics. So far, shoes meant for men were being supplied to women,” he said.
Tamil Nadu will be the first State to make the departure. Acknowledging that, Meeran C. Borwankar, DGP, Bureau of Police Research and Development, said it was a welcome initiative. The comfort of policewomen should be a priority, considering the nature of work and long duty hours. Police departments in Delhi, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and the Border Security Force issue the same type of shoes for men and women, while Kerala and Maharashtra provide funds for personnel to purchase their own shoes. Karnataka buys shoes for men and women through open tender.
Discomfort and injury
A CFTI expert said men’s feet are wide and large, and those of women, wide in the forefoot and narrow towards the heel. Women wearing men’s shoes face not just discomfort, but suffer injury, as an ill-fitting shoe causes pain to the ball of the feet, radiating to the calf and back.
CFTI technical faculty member T. Gnanapazhani said design of shoes for men and women is based on gait analysis. The weight of the sole for men is more than that of women.