The sabre hilt twists off with a button press to reveal a collapsible steel baton, giving officers different levels of reach to avoid grappling people with all that equipment on their belt.
Policing in their setting is quite different, for better and worse. They still carry sabres for a few reasons. The sword is inherited directly from their naval tradition, is versatile and has good reach. Above all, seeing the cops draw a sword from their scabbard has a powerful intimidation factor.