§ Mr. PaiceTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the level of ballistic protection provided by(a) HG1 and (b) HG1A body armour. [172356]
346W
§ Caroline Flint[holding answer 11 May 2004]: HG1 and HG1A are body armour protection levels defined in a Home Office body armour standard. Both HG1 and HG1A afford the same ballistic protection. They both provide protection against standard ammunition fired from short-barrelled handguns. In the case of HG1A a back face deformation of the armour to a maximum depth of 44mm is allowed and in the case of HG1 this maximum deformation is reduced to 25mm. The back face deformation is a measure of the trauma that would be inflicted.
§ Mr. PaiceTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he was informed(a) that Highmark Manufacturing Co Ltd. had changed the specification of its KCW223 model of body armour and (b) that the body armour used by some police forces did not meet the protective HG1/KR2 classification of the original tender. [172357]
§ Caroline Flint[holding answer 11 May 2004]: Highmark did not change the specification of the armour. In mid 2001 it incorporated a material that had been cured in a different way. They did not inform the Home Office of this change. It has now been established that the fully cured material affords a lower ballistic trauma protection level than the partially cured material. The Home Office was informed of the problem in February 2004 and established its extent in March 2004. All affected forces have been told what action they should take, and the manufacturers are providing upgrade packs to return the armour to the specified protection level.
§ Mr. PaiceTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department(a) which police forces and (b) how many police officers are using body armour supplied by Highmark Manufacturing Co Ltd. that does not meet the protective HG1/KR2 specification of the original tender. [172358]
§ Caroline Flint[holding answer 11 May 2004]: The police forces in England and Wales using KCW223 model of body armour supplied by Highmark Manufacturing Co Ltd. are Avon and Somerset constabulary, Cheshire constabulary, Cumbria constabulary, Devon and Cornwall constabulary, Dorset police, Durham constabulary, Greater Manchester police, Hampshire Constabulary, Lancashire constabulary, Leicestershire constabulary, North Wales police, South Wales police, West Midlands police and West Yorkshire police. 30,000 models of this armour have been supplied and the manufacturers are supplying upgrade packs to return the armour to its original HG1/KR2 level (where required).
§ Mr. PaiceTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long police forces have been using body armour supplied by Highmark Manufacturing Co Ltd. that does not meet the protective HG1/KR2 specification of the original tender. [172359]
§ Caroline Flint[holding answer 11 May 2004]: In mid 2001, Highmark Manufacturing Co Ltd. started using a material that makes up part of the construction of the armour model KCW223 which was supplied to police forces. This material had been cured in a different way to material previously used. This resulted in the armour in having a reduced ballistic (trauma) protection level in 347W terms of the HG1/A specification and a slightly reduced stab protection level that placed it just below the KR2 level in some carriers and just above KR2 in others.
§ Mr. PaiceTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long police forces were using HG1A body armour before it was approved by his Department; and what action his Department is taking to ensure that police forces are issued with the certification of body armour they specify at tender. [172360]
§ Caroline Flint[holding answer 11 May 2004]: The Police Scientific Development Branch (PSDB) of the Home Office produces a body armour standard. HG1A is a body armour protection level, which was introduced in early 2002. PSDB approved test houses test body armour to the current PSDB standards and the results are published in the Manual of Ballistic and Stab Resistant Body Armour maintained by PSDB. When body armour is tested at a PSDB test house the manufacturer is asked to provide a Declaration of Construction that details the material used in the manufacture of the armour along with a detailed description of the construction of the armour. Any model of armour tested is assigned an identification number that uniquely identifies it and the test sample is retained by PSDB. This procedure is designed to ensure that all armour bearing a particular model number that has met a PSDB defined protection level, which is subsequently supplied by the manufacturer, is of the same construction as the original test armour.