Bring out the gimp

This limited skirmish in London this afternoon where a man so incensed by the soul destroying infuriating effects of a call centre finally did what we've all wanted to do and attempted to go round to one personally and blow it up, has required some of the policemen involved to dress up in a rather macho and homo-erotic way.

Is it really necessary for them to look like this..

and this..

They obviously think they look awesome, but all I see is a cross between Sylvester Stallone's Cobra and the Gimp from Pulp Fiction.  I'm more impressed by the Bobby in the second picture who seems very unimpressed by his butch colleague and is coping just as well with being in such a dangerous area in his regular uniform and truncheon.