The vests - worn by Sgt Kylie Newton - weigh about 2kg each. Photo / Getty Images
Police patrolling the streets of South Auckland will have better protection against attacks after being issued with long-awaited body armour yesterday.
The stab-resistant vests were handed out to Counties Manukau staff in the first stage of a nationwide roll-out that is expected to be completed next April. They
will be mandatory for response teams and frontline staff at risk.
Calls for the protective gear became louder this month when two Auckland City police officers were stabbed by a screwdriver-wielding man after a car chase.
Police said the vests provided protection against blunt and stabbing instruments and offered some defence against low-calibre handguns.
Staff called to firearms jobs would still wear full ballistic armour.
Inspector Andrew Coster, Counties Manukau police deployment manager, said about 300 officers in the district would have the new vests by the end of the week and 600 staff would be suited up by the end of next month.
"There is certainly increasing concern about risks to staff in terms of injuries and assaults, which is what triggered the stab-resistant body armour," he said.
Mr Coster said feedback from officers so far had been positive.
"There's no doubt the vests represent an enhancement to officer safety but there's obviously no substitute for good decision-making."
Police officers in the Northland, Auckland, and North Shore/Waitakere districts would be next in line for the armour, which is made of Kevlar panels in a synthetic vest.
Each vest weighs about 2kg and costs $1000.
"They're pretty comfortable and not too heavy at all compared to a ballistic vest, which could weigh up to 10kg," said Mr Coster.
