From next week New Zealand Police Operational staff will start being issued with Stab Resistant Body Armour (SRBA).
The first Districts to receive SRBA will be Counties Manukau, Auckland, AMCOS, Northshore and Northland. Operational police staff in Counties Manukau will start being issued with SRBA from Monday 18 December.
The roll out will continue on a district by district basis. The SRBA is being supplied to police staff in batches as soon as it is received from the manufacturer
By April next year all operational staff in response roles will be wearing the SRBA when away from a police station.
National manager operations, Superintendent Tony McLeod says SRBA is being issued to enhance the safety of frontline staff.
"We saw an example last week of a situation where an officer in Auckland was stabbed in the chest with a screw driver."
"The nature of police work is that on occasion our staff are confronted by violent offenders who wish to do them harm. SRBA will reduce injuries to officers in situations such as that which Constable Scott Burrowes faced last week," he said.
The SRBA is effective against stabbing and cutting weapons and small calibre firearms.
The design of the body armour issued to NZ Police is based on that used by many United Kingdom Police.
Prototypes were tested in a variety of conditions and roles to ensure the chosen SRBA was appropriate and comfortable for the widest roles and conditions.
"While SRBA is now an essential adjunct to police uniform for response staff, Police will still use the full range of skills developed in tactical training to protect themselves, their colleagues and the public," Mr McLeod said.
ENDS
For more information:
Jane Archibald
Media advisor
027 5680267