Protecting Police

Jan Berry, Chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales: “To maintain adequate levels of officer safety, forces will need to budget for continual investment in body armour, in the same way as other pieces of protective kit.  It should not come as a shock.  Investing in safety should be part of a force’s on-going budget, year on year.
 
“Since personal safety is officers’ number one priority, having or not having access to body armour could well be the difference between them feeling confident to go out on the streets or not.”
 
The Police Federation of England and Wales has always taken the leading role in officer safety. Officers should be safe in the knowledge that all has been done to protect their safety; this means appropriate, reliable equipment and sufficient back-up officers (including Authorised Firearms Officers) should they be required.
 
Government and police authorities have a duty to ensure officers are issued with the best possible equipment for their physical protection. This includes effective batons to combat assailants, ballistic and knife resistant vests suitable for operational wear, and CS or ‘pepper’ sprays to enable officers to immobilise violent people.
 
In an area in which technology moves quickly, we must move with the times. Technological developments will continue, thereby making the vests of the future even safer and more comfortable than those currently available. Forces should budget for a regular replacement programme, with the financial considerations at the bottom of the list of priorities and officer safety at the very top. 
 

Police Federation of England and Wales:
 

• The Police Federation is urging politicians to pressure police forces that have been slow to roll out protective vests to all operational officers. Far too many forces have procrastinated, arguing that their own force’s injury statistics do not warrant universal provision. However provision should not be driven by statistics – a single dead or injured officer is one too many. 

 

• At present police forces are effectively waiting for incidents to occur before they make the investment. The most valuable policing resources, the officers themselves, must receive the very best protection available.

 

• Concerns have been raised by the Police Federation over officer safety training. All officers need proper and comprehensive training and regular refresher courses.  A number of forces currently fail to provide the minimum level of refresher training in this area.

 

• The Police Federation believe policing is too dangerous a profession not to supply officers with personal issue with body armour that is fit for purpose (protects and wearable) for operational officers it should be a mandatory part of uniform. 

 

• Prevention is better than cure - we eagerly await the development of the ‘magic vest’ which must combine and not compromise wearability and safety. Those who put their lives on the line to safeguard the public must be afforded the best possible protection. 

 

• Injuries from knives are more prevalent in England & Wales than gun injuries; body armour must provide protection against both. 

 

• PFEW believe there are insufficient numbers of Authorised Firearms Officers (AFOs). We demand an urgent assessment of our firearms capability is undertaken and more AFOs are trained. 

 

 

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