BODY ARMOUR ZAC Digital representation of the third Generation Body Armour


forms, has a high level of protection across the back of the neck and in the under-arm area, and is slightly lighter than the 2017 body armour. Therefore, we implore forces to invest in this new generation of body armour as we think it is the best protective equipment we are going to have for many years to come.


Q.2. What steps has PFEW taken to persuade forces to invest in the new body armour?


I have been actively canvassing for the third generation Body Armour for some time. We had supplied what we wanted and this came to be created. We attended the human factor testing in London to see for ourselves what it looked like, and I can confirm that this testing was done over a week with male and female officers of different shapes and sizes, and from different frontline policing departments. They were put through the wringer which involved performing Emergency Life Support, drawing a taser, running, jumping over fences, carrying out officer safety techniques, driving cars, searching cars, and carrying dogs. Every aspect of every task a police officer performs was thought of and put through testing. At end of the testing their feedback was


collated, and the right manufacturer won the award along with another that came a close second for resilience. We then attended every meeting after that and have been deeply involved in the creation of the covers going forwards. We have asked the Police Protection Group leads to present the new age body


A Met officer at one of the trials


armour to the force health and safety leaders so that they are aware the new body armour is now available to buy. We had also arranged a ‘show and tell’ input at the PFEW HQ in Leatherhead on 3 April for the decision-makers to personally see the new body armour themselves.


Q.3. Some forces have raised concerns over the Home Office’s Body Armour Standard (2017) and the need for amending the standards so that only new- age body armours such as these meet the criteria for greater protection. What progress has been made in this direction? The personal protection of police officers is paramount and the most crucial thing is striking a good balance between comfort and safety. Some will say we cannot substitute comfort for safety, and this is true to an extent, but if officers do not feel


MADER Q.1. What are your views on the third Generation Body Armour? This is the first time that we as PFEW have played a meaningful and active role in the conception of the third Generation Body Armour. The protection is ground- breaking and provides additional protection. Our genuine fear is that we will get to the stage where it is a postcode lottery if you


get body armour with advanced protection. I absolutely understand that financially these are challenging times, but this will be the biggest investment in body armour for at least the next five years. Our plea is for decision-makers and senior officers to make the right decision.


“They were put through the wringer which involved performing Emergency Life Support, drawing a taser, running, jumping over fences, driving cars, searching cars, and carrying dogs”


comfortable then they may not wear the body armour, putting them at greater risk. The protection provided by the new


generation body armour is revolutionary. In designing it, they studied where officers are susceptible to injury. It was deemed that the back of the neck, and the underarm area were more vulnerable due to the evolving threats of knife crime in the 21st century and, therefore, extra protection has been built in. The concerns with the 2017 armour have been eradicated with the Generation-3 body armour.


Q.2. How does the PFEW influence uniform and body armour used by forces? Belinda and I attend the National Uniform Working Group on behalf of the PFEW. This working group is supposed to be a task and finish group on all things about uniforms. The NUWG feeds into the National Uniform Strategic Board. The new NPCC Uniform Lead, Melissa Russhard, will take over in the near future and we will engage positively on behalf of our members. In the NUWG, we have spent a lot of time on the new Body Armour, next generation uniform, Hijabs, mounted section Police Support Unit kit, motorcyclist, and other specialist uniforms to name but a few. It is not too much to ask in the 21st century that uniform is provided


to officers that take into consideration all types of weather. Sadly, we are often contacted about issues with uniforms, especially trousers. We will continue to hold the NUWG to account as uniform is a very important issue for our members. Belinda and I have set up an internal PFEW group drawing representatives from our branches to be able to feed in directly to us so that we are able to evidence issues and give real-time feedback to the NUWG on the uniform and some of the day-to-day issues that our members have to cope with.


35 | POLICE | APRIL 2023


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