GAV a good option?
By Sandra Soldo

From Police Journal June 2006

Soft body armour freely available on issue to NSW police offers protection from serious injuries caused by firearm and knife attacks. But, the number of officers who sustain such injuries, compared with the thousands suffering a range of injuries either caused or aggravated by the police-issue accoutrement belt, poses an obvious question. Why is the NSW Police not providing its officers with more options?

The next stage of the on-going gel belt trial – with which Uniform Services is continuing – is unlikely to produce a quick-fix solution for affected officers. Therefore, the NSW Police should continue to explore alternatives for its employees so as to stop the multitude of injuries commonly brought about by wearing the current accoutrement belt.

Police in the Northern Territory, Western Australia, Queensland and Victoria are running trials of the General Accoutrement Vest (GAV). Its manufacturer maintains that the construction and design of, and technology in, the vest are wholly policing orientated, with a general-duties slant. This means that vehicle egress, seating comfort and protection from airbag deployment have all been carefully considered.

The GAV comes with a number of benefits:

• It has a moulded design and is made up of a series of densities, which makes it rigid in some areas and softer in others.
• It consists of self-supporting, built-in moulded compartments, so the wearer is spared the “drag-down” feeling that comes with a fabric vest.
• The semi-ridged design offers basic blunt impact protection while maintaining a soft appearance.
• It consists of “impact pads” which hold the vest off the wearer’s body allowing air to reduce the scope for heat stress.
• Strategic item placement is generally to the front of the vest for accessibility and rapid deployment.

For its wearers, the GAV – with its weight distribution across the torso – creates far fewer lower back problems than does the current accoutrement belt. It also provides greater flexibility of movement and increased comfort for highway patrol