MPS body armour

Report: 8
Date: 6 September 2007
By: AC Central Operations on behalf of The Commissioner

Summary

This report provides an update of the provision of body armour in the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS).

This reported emanated from a question raised at the May Authority meeting following an officer being stabbed in the side of the body whilst wearing a Metvest.

Armour does not fully cover that part of the body as this would impact on rotational and linear movement and access to officer safety equipment.

A. Recommendation

That Members note the update report on the provision of body armour to police officers and operational members of police staff within the MPS.

B. Supporting information

Background

1. In September 1994 members of the MPS met with PSDB (now the Home Office Scientific Development Branch - HOSDB) to discuss the draft of a report entitled ‘Protective Body Armour For Routine Patrol Officers - Determining an Operational Requirement’. (Published as part of the ‘Manual of Ballistic and Stab Resistant Body Armours’ - Oct. 1995). This guidance has recently been updated by HOSDB and will be re-published in the last quarter of 2007.

2. The report suggested, in choosing body armour, Chief Officers should apply the following criteria in respect of their own Forces:

• Whether the armour should be covert or overt.
• The nature of the threat.
• The requirement for ballistic and stab protection.
• The level of ballistic protection required.

The ideal armour should consist of a balanced combination of the following elements:

• A response to the threat
• Using the technology available, to
• Produce a wearable garment

The MPS has followed these criteria in all body armour procurements.

3. In line with ACPO/HOSDB guidance, the MPS carried out detailed research in order to devise the specification for Metvest, which was to be issued to all police officers and operational police staff.

4. Originally Metvest was designed as covert armour to be worn under the shirt, so as to provide discreet protection, without changing the overall image of patrolling officers. The armour was later altered and Metvest became overt body armour for MPS Officers.

National Standards and National Procurement

5. Body Armour standards within the UK are set by the Home Office Scientific Development Branch (HOSDB). These standards are developed with the assistance of the ACPO Body Armour Sub Group. The standards have recently been reviewed and have been circulated to HOSDB partners in the USA and EU and manufacturers and suppliers.

6. The standards are for both ballistic and knife protection and offer a series of levels to ensure that Chief Officers can identify a level of protection that is applicable to the role of the officer/operational police staff.

7. These standards are performance based and allow armour to be submitted for testing and certification. Historically armour submitted for testing underwent a single series of tests. HOSDB have now introduced a series of tests on a number of armours that will be repeated throughout the commercial life of armour therefore ensuring that the quality of the products supplied is maintained.

8. The MPS already utilise this method during selection of armours and ensure that pre and post quality assurance issues are met and maintained through a contract’s life span.

9. Currently there are three framework contracts within the UK police service that various forces have access to. The MPS has always managed its own contracts although recently negotiation has started to procure armour from the West Yorkshire framework contract.

10. Both ACPO and the MPS have identified that the police armour market has suffered through a lack of competition and the ACPO Body Armour Sub Group have commenced a project to investigate whether a National Procurement Programme for armour would stimulate design and technological advancements in this area.

Body armour issued in the MPS

11. The MPS currently issue four styles of armour. These are:

• AFO (Authorised Firearms Officer) Armour. Issued to all firearm officers and specialist officers who work with operational firearms OCUs i.e. hostage negotiators, specialist dog handlers. The armour issued meets the HOSDB ballistic standard for firearms officers
• Specialist concealable armour is issued to a small number of specialist plainclothes surveillance officers that meets a HOSDB ballistic protection level, which is equivalent to the ballistic standard in Metvest
• Marine Support Armour is issued to all MSU officers and meets the AFO protective level and has a built in buoyancy jacket
• Metvest, a dual purpose armour i.e. both ballistic and knife protection, is issued to all officers within the MPS and also issued to CSOs, MSC, DDOs and operational police staff who are identified, via risk assessments, as requiring armour. This would include forensic officers and photographers

Identification of armour for MPS issue

12. Body Armour issues are overseen by the MPS Body Armour Committee. Its membership is taken from a number of Firearms OCUs, Central Operations, the Police Federation, Public Order OCU, Department of Resource, Department of Information and the Department of Technology.

13. The terms of reference for the committee are:

• To discuss, formulate and develop corporate policy in respect of Metropolitan Police Service Body Armour and all personal ballistic protective equipment i.e. helmets, shields, blankets, etc.
• To consider requests for individual projects and research on body armour and/or personal ballistic protective equipment.
• To agree the arrangements for contracting out projects.
• To agree strategies for implementing findings of project and research.

14. Where there is an issue or an incident with armour the committee would seek or sponsor work and research to be undertaken. At this time, work is being undertaken in areas surrounding heat transference and musculo skeletal issues to ensure the next generation armours are designed to take advantage of new material and design technology.

15. Consultation with Safety and Health department is undertaken where risks are identified. The MPS has a standard operating procedure in existence for MPS body armour to ensure that any incident is investigated, if necessary.

16. The procurement of body armour is based on contract length or the identification of a new system of protection that is required by specific units. There are five phases to the procurement of armour prior to its introduction into the MPS.

17. The first phase is to review the technical requirements of the armour; the protective standard and any special issues required i.e. carriage of equipment. The technical areas are discussed with users, their management teams, and agreeing a specification to meet the operational requirement.

18. The Resources Directorate undertakes the preparation of the commercial elements within the tender and they will oversee the tender returns and the financial details.

19. The physical testing of armours submitted for a tender, the design drawings, technical responses to the tender and the quality assurance standards and documentation are undertaken by Crime and Intelligence Technical Support (CITs) - Physical Protection Unit. This ensures that armours submitted in response to a tender meet the protective qualities that the MPS sets.

20. Wearer trials are undertaken on all armours within the MPS and these are undertaken in two phases. The first phase will be used to ensure compliance with the wearer specification and a larger second phase will be undertaken to ensure a comparison is undertaken with other submitted products in an operational arena.

21. The fifth phase is a review of all data to ensure that the successful supplier has met all parts of the procurement process.

Body armour designs

22. The MPS has throughout the history of Metvest development and other body armour issue ensured that the armour requirement is examined thoroughly and that any design requirements meet the required protective and operational requirement.

23. Measuring systems and size requirements were investigated to ensure that suppliers were able to meet the ergonomic needs of the police service and ensure that where persons fall outside of these parameters, solutions were available.

24. All officers entering the service or who have a requirement for armour are measured personally using a sizing armour body set to ensure the correct armour is issued.

25. The rational for the design of all armours with the MPS is that the armour is part of the officer safety regime. The armour has to interact with equipment, vehicles, and the operational role undertaken. This led to design ensuring that the armour sits above the waist to ensure rotational movement and it does not overlap at the sides, as this impacts on rotational and linear movement and therefore impacts on officers operational abilities to drive and use their officer safety skills.

26. It would be difficult to design armour to counter every potential risk this would include areas such as the neck, groin, head etc. The need to balance the threat against ergonomic needs of the wearer is a balance that will always be difficult. However, Metvest and other armours in service taken together with officer safety training ensure that the designs achieve the best possible balance.

Abbreviations

HOSDB

Home Office Scientific Development Branch

AFO

Authorised Firearms Officer

MSU

Marine Support Unit

CSO’S

Community Service Officers

MSC

Metropolitan Special Constabulary

DDO’S

Dedicated Detention Officers

CIT’S

Criminal And Intelligence Technical Support

C. Race and equality impact

The MPS was the first UK police service to demand gender specific armour and ensure that test and quality assurance protocols were in place with manufacturers who wanted to supply the MPS. There are no implications.

D. Financial implications

E. Background papers

None provided

F. Contact details

Report author: PC Shaun Winslade, CO11 Public Order, Officer Safety, MPS

For information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

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