The bullet-proof vests issued to South African Police Service (SAPS) members, which they are supposed to wear while on operational duty, are ”too bulky, heavy and impede movement”, Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Helen Zille said on Thursday.
There is also an estimated shortage of about 22 000 such vests at police stations around the country, she told a media briefing at Parliament, in a week in which two on-duty police officers were shot and killed in separate incidents in Cape Town.
According to reports, neither policeman was wearing a bullet-proof vest at the time.
Also at the briefing, DA MPL and former police commissioner Lennit Max said there appear to be two main reasons why many SAPS members do not wear their bullet-proof vests while on duty.
One is the design and weight of the vests, a hefty 13kg, which limit movement and mean the police member wearing it ”cannot run”.
The second is that the vests make the wearer sweat, resulting in ”hygienic problems”.
Max, who donned a police-issue vest at the briefing to make his point, said the vests worn by guards employed by a well-known national private security company are better than the ones issued to SAPS.
He described the police-issue vests as ”inappropriate” and ”too heavy”.
On the shortage of vests, Zille said the DA had undertaken a survey of equipment shortages at police station level. Of 17 stations surveyed, nine were found that did not have enough bullet-proof vests.
”Extrapolating from our figures, we estimate there is a national shortage of about 22 000 bullet-proof vests at the station level.”
She also noted many female SAPS members find it impossible to wear the vests ”because they are designed specifically for the male anatomy”.
Max said the families of police officers killed while on duty do not receive a R200 000 payout, made by SAPS within 24 hours of the event, if it is determined the member had neglected to wear his or her bullet-proof vest.
Zille called on Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula to ensure SAPS personnel are issued with ”suitable bullet-proof vests made of the best possible material”.
Further, he should solve the shortage problem, and make sure that the wearing of such vests is enforced by SAPS management.
He should also examine ”the feasibility of introducing legislation compelling police officers to wear bullet-proof vests for operational duties”, she said. — Sapa