The Wellbeing Lead for the Police Federation (PFEW) has urged every force to invest in the latest body armour to give officers across the country the “same safety and comfort”.
The 3rd Generation General Purpose (GP) Body Armour has been in the works since 2019 when the National Uniform Working Group and the National Body Armour Sub-Group commenced plans to replace the 2nd Generation version which went live in 2017.
At the heart of this work is Belinda Goodwin, who spoke to Police Oracle about this newly-developed body armour which the PFEW believes is the best policing is going to have “for at least the next five years”.
She said: “What we have now is body armour that is slightly lighter.
“It still has the Home Office panels, but it now has extra protection around the back of the neck area that runs under the arm. That’s something we’ve never had before.”
This piece of equipment has been specifically designed to offer more protection and there are also now male and female variants, which for some may positively impact how comfortable they feel wearing the armour.
Though safety was the top priority, Ms Goodwin admits comfort was a consideration too.
“We have to recognise that if officers aren’t comfortable, they won’t wear it,” she said.
Ultimately, it’s down to forces to make the investment on behalf of their officers, a decision the Federation hopes each makes.
