Cryptic crossword clue
Officer holding strange belief makes provision for safety aboard 4,4

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 plus 4 letter word LIFE BELT

I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
L
I
F
E
B
E
L
T

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "provision for safety aboard" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case provision for safety aboard = life belt.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

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