Russia’s Military of Internal Affairs is enforcing a crackdown on police attire in response to rapidly rising hemlines on the skirts of Russian policewomen.

The ministry found that policewomen were shortening skirts to above their thighs and wearing stilettos. Policemen, meanwhile, were cutting off their shirtsleeves and incorporating items of civilian clothing into their uniforms, reports Russian daily Izvestia.

The crackdown aims to prohibit all these irregularities. Along with the stricter dress code, new orders also forbid the use of headphones or earphones on duty.

Deputy Interior Minister Sergei Gerasimov insisted that unprofessional apparel would undercut the authority of the police force and said that violators of the new code would be punished. “When you meet people, the first thing you see is their clothing, and for a police officer fulfilling his duties, it is crucial to have a tidy and neat appearance,” Gerasimov told Izvestia.

Mikhail Pashkin, a chairman of the police officers’ union, suggested that policewomen had been flouting regulations because they wanted civilians to find them attractive. “Perhaps the girls want to get married,” Pashkin told UPI.

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