Bullet proof vests too heavy: SAPS

Diesal

Diesal

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“Police officers believe that bullet vests are too heavy and they request that the weight be reduced,” read one of the resolutions at the summit in Durban.

The call came after police chief General Bheki Cele ordered all police officers to wear bullet-proof vests when they are on duty to reduce police killings.

He sent a letter saying this to all deputy heads of police, divisional commissioners, provincial heads, commanders, the minister and the secretariat of police.

Cele said commanders at all levels would be held responsible if it was found that members did not heed this instruction.

But delegates attending the one day summit believe that it is not possible to wear them all the time because of weight.

More provincial summits on police killings are still going to be held in other provinces.

Speaking during the summit, KwaZulu-Natal community safety and liaison MEC Willies Mchunu said firearms used to kill police officers in KwaZulu-Natal were likely to be the same ones used during political violence in the province.

“There is cause for concern regarding the killings of SAPS members due to historical proliferation of various weapons during political violence,” said Mchunu.

Mchunu said the province's legacy of political violence raised the likelihood that communities were armed with dangerous weapons.

KwaZulu-Natal has the second highest number of police killings after Gauteng.

According to the latest figures, 178 police officers have been killed in the past eight years in KwaZulu-Natal. Since January 15 police officers have been killed in the province.

Mchunu said he was concerned that when political violence ended when democratic dispensation dawned in 1994, no massive arrests were made.

“We don't know how many arms are still out there. There were no massive arrests after the end of violence and people did not surrender their arms,” he said.

He said he believed there were still arms hidden by people who were involved in faction fights and political violence.

Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa said police killings had reached proportional and unacceptable levels.

“One police killing is one too many. Criminal acts, including the killing of police officers deny and take away the most elementary human rights from our law abiding citizens.”

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Source: http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/2011/08/16/bullet-proof-vests-too-heavy-saps

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Let me be the first to say it:

Its because some of them are so unfit they cannot support the extra weight in a combat situation?
 
A lot of SA police vests have the ceramic plates in them. This was explained to me by family members as being the only means of effectively stopping a AK47 round. So yeah the vests are heavy but do you really want to walk around vulnerable? Seriously?
 
Whiney, whiney, whiney - seriously SAPS, we used to walk 15km trails with 45Kg's on our backs besides our rifle and helmet and you're moaning about a little bulletproof vest, WHICH we didn't even have. Strange.
 
I had to wear one of those ceramic bullet proof vests when I did township duty back in the early 90's, they're bloody uncomfortable and heavy. There are lightweight vests available these days that will stop an AK bullet but apparently senior SAPS management don't want to pay the price it will cost to replace the ceramics.
 
Ya. Cos it comes in the way when they bonking back at the station.

Couldn't resist
 
Kosmik said:
A lot of SA police vests have the ceramic plates in them. This was explained to me by family members as being the only means of effectively stopping a AK47 round. So yeah the vests are heavy but do you really want to walk around vulnerable? Seriously?
Click to expand...

I wore one,not that heavy but then again im not wearing for the whole day.
 
Rands said:
Ya. Cos it comes in the way when they bonking back at the station.

Couldn't resist
Click to expand...

ROFL

Korn1 said:
I wore one,not that heavy but then again im not wearing for the whole day.
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So effing what, they're doing a job and as far as I can see there aren't really that many police left that can strike fear into your heart. Beef them up and make them formidable! The ones I see can barely lift a cooler bag, let alone apprehend a felon.
 
Maybe if the SAPS members lost a lot of weight they could get a tad fitter, so that the weight of the protective vests would not seem as heavy. It must be very hard for a HUGE-assed 172kg SAPS policewoman to even squeeze into a standard BP vest.
But I guess the BPVs they use must be made locally, and made specially for the grossly obese SAPS, as most other (non-African) countries would have made sure that (1) they do not enlist obese people, and (2) they have a strict fitness regime - i.e. one that does not include KFC diets.
 
atomcrusher said:
Maybe if the SAPS members lost a lot of weight they could get a tad fitter, so that the weight of the protective vests would not seem as heavy. It must be very hard for a HUGE-assed 172kg SAPS policewoman to even squeeze into a standard BP vest.
But I guess the BPVs they use must be made locally, and made specially for the grossly obese SAPS, as most other (non-African) countries would have made sure that (1) they do not enlist obese people, and (2) they have a strict fitness regime - i.e. one that does not include KFC diets.
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Zigackly - they're either skinny little runts, or they'd have a heart attack chasing you from lamp post to lamp post. AND then we wonder why the death rate is so high in this country - way easier to shoot a felon in the back than actually catch his sorry ass.
 
Ask your government to get serious about crime instead of trying to band-aid everything. Wearing bullet-proof vests to reduce police killings isn't the solution - getting tough on gun-wielding criminals is.

In the mean time, remember .. stomach in, chest out!
 
Kosmik said:
A lot of SA police vests have the ceramic plates in them. This was explained to me by family members as being the only means of effectively stopping a AK47 round. So yeah the vests are heavy but do you really want to walk around vulnerable? Seriously?
Click to expand...

Exactly, I'd rather wear that vest then die.
 
Geriatrix said:
How much weight are we talking here?
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No idea, but I lifted my buddy's (security guard) vest and it didn't feel like something I couldn't handle if I knew it was going to save my life. I put a max of 15kg's (and I suck at estimation) on it.
 
I'm all for more effective means to combat crime. As much as we want to complain and point fingers at the police, there are still a handful of them trying to make a difference. The vast majority, it seems, are corrupt and useless but there are still some doing what must be done. Some replies in this thread seems like they want to dish out slingshots to the police and watch them die.

Cut back on other spending and supply your ground force with more efficient BPV, I have no problem with this.
 
Ronjay said:
Exactly, I'd rather wear that vest then die.
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The issue is not that they do not want to wear them, but that they need more comfortable vests.

Strap on 15-20kg's and then try and run to catch a crook or try and do anything normal in that body armour. I do not care if you are the fittest in the force, you will have a hard time doing actual police work.
 
FlatspinZA said:
ROFL



So effing what, they're doing a job and as far as I can see there aren't really that many police left that can strike fear into your heart. Beef them up and make them formidable! The ones I see can barely lift a cooler bag, let alone apprehend a felon.
Click to expand...

I was just effing saying:erm:

I never said that it was right and they should 'man' up.
 
Xzib1t said:
Filling out forms and stuff at the station ;)

but more seriously, perhaps its time for SAPS to look into some fitness scheme, perhaps the General could ask his friends in the SANDF?
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I have no problem with this as well, and I think that this will go a very long way to prevent more deaths and make them more effective as well.
 
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