Chester Borrows MP
National Party Police Spokesman

15 June 2007

Police bosses stuff up vests, now shirts

The fact that police are scrambling to buy new shirts for officers because they overheat in the new stab-resistant vests is another indictment on how poorly the project has been managed, says National’s Police spokesman, Chester Borrows.

“Not only has there been a delay of at least 18 months in rolling out the vests to frontline officers – because they were the wrong colour, the wrong material, the wrong design, and then the wrong sizes – but now police will need new shirts as well because the current ones get too hot under the vests.

“Why didn’t this problem become apparent when the vests were first trialled?

“Now we have a mad scramble by police to buy 35,000 new breathable, moisture-wicking shirts that are able to be worn underneath overt body armour, with tenders closing in two weeks.

According to tender documents, the new shirts will be close-fitting and V-necked, doing away with buttons, pockets and epaulettes, and suggesting a move towards a less formal uniform, even without ties.

“The Police Minister has told the public that 98% of officers will have vests by the end of July this year, but the fact that the new shirts won’t be rolled out completely until March next year may make this latest promise a fairly empty one.

“Police have no idea how much the new shirts will cost, but if they’re at least $60 each then we’re already talking $2 million, on top of the $1.3 million for 1,200 vests that are sitting in storage because they’re too small.

“Frontline officers will be most disturbed to learn that they will be the only ones feeling the heat, because the Minister has confirmed that no one in management, or the contractor responsible for procuring uniforms and equipment, will be sanctioned for this succession of stuff-ups.”

ENDS

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