Material social worker's taken away from police officer (5)
I believe the answer is:
serge
'material' is the definition.
(I know that serge is a type of material)
I don't understand how the rest of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for serge that I've seen before include "Durable fabric" , "Frenchman" , "Material to suit" , "Twilled woollen fabric" , "Stuff" .)