New Body Armour for Female Police Officers

As the number of women police officers steadily increases, with areas such as the West Midlands committed to attaining a 2% year on year increase to achieve an impressive 42% female recruitment by 2012, Aegis Tailored Protection is responding to the demands of BAWP members ( British Association for Women in Policing ) for garments to better fit the female form by creating a totally new female-specific range of body armour.

Due to be unveiled this Autumn, the new Aegis Women's Fit Body Armour range is not simply an adaptation of a male garment but an entirely new female range which has stripped the product to its core and re-designed it.

The culmination of groundbreaking research alongside independent experts, including female ergonomics specialists and garment technology experts, Aegis Women's Fit has assessed all the constraints of the current equipment to create a new generation of armour which works with the female form and is more effective and comfortable than any to date.

Giving a greater degree of flexibility whilst retaining its inherent protection values, Aegis Women's Fit uses light, soft, flexible armour moulds and tailored panels which shape around the body's contours, creating comfortable yet unobtrusive cup shapes to protect rather than 'crush' the bust area, leading to a neater and more flattering silhouette.

The armour includes a greater range of size variations, allocating extra elastic panels where necessary in underarm areas to ensure a better non-restrictive
fit which moulds to the female form rather than standing rigid and seeming to 'oppose' it.

Multiple adjustments to the shoulder and waist area allow the wearer to more precisely fit the garment to their body's contours and Aegis also offers personal
tailoring for a completely bespoke fit. Zips have also been improved to allow fast two-way operation for easy and convenient venting and on/off, and a shaped hem allows the armour to sit more comfortably over the hips, again creating a more flattering silhouette.

Multiple new generation fabric layers have harnessed the power of the latest nano-technologies to give the armour superb new properties such as hydrophobic ( water repellent ) and self cleaning qualities to keep the garment drier and cleaner; anti-microbial properties to keep it smelling fresher; and heat repellent technology to ensure that it is cooler to wear. Load carriage has also been considered to position equipment for easy and speed of access whilst alleviating pain and discomfort to the back and shoulders, minimising load and encouraging more overall energy efficiency.

Paul Parry, Aegis Sales Director, comments " Last November, an article in Corporate Clothing magazine called 'Fitting the Female Form' stated that uncomfortable and badly fitting garments are a reality of the job.

At this time Aegis was already developing a new series of Women's Fit Body Armour which would make badly fitting armour a thing of the past. The BAWP has found that female officers place a very high value on the importance of correctly fitting uniform, and our significant research and investment underlines that so do we.

Aegis has committed every resource possible to improving body armour for women, working with ergonomics and fabric technology specialists in addition to a pioneering knowledge transfer partnership with John Moores University, and our wearer trials have shown that the new series is a definite improvement for reach and range of movement, mobility, size and fit."

Creating an entire new series of body armour, including a new Ergonomic Hip Belt for male and female officers and a range of Body Armour specifically designed for male officers, Aegis will be unveiling its groundbreaking new range this Autumn. Re-writing the rules on what is achievable.

For info call Aegis Sales Director Paul Parry on 01925 840048
or vist:
www.aegis-eng.com