Thiruvananthapuram city police get better protective gear

Thiruvananthapuram: The Thiruvananthapuram city police are better protected while controlling riots with the all new black fibre body armour that was put to use for the first time to quell the Law Academy Law College protest from Tuesday. A balaclava and lightweight boot will be all that police will need to look like their western counterparts. Apart from protection from the chest to the abdomen, the new body armour gives good protection to the neck. The suit also has lower body guards that protect thighs, shin and knee caps.

“The fire retardant armour has been purchased for use in the capital city, Thiruvananthapuram Rural and Kanur. It gives good mobility and was found to be safer than the old ones,” said AAIG Mohammad Shabeer. The old khakhi armour had cloth padding covering fibre armour which made it wet and heavier in the event of showers. With petrol bombs being used by protestors and water cannon being used by police, the newer armour will be more practical, say officers. The gear procured from a Maharashtra-based company also has a washable fabric padding from inside. The gear is already in use in cities like New Delhi and Bangalore. Polycarbonate lathis also will be increasingly used along with the new gear.