ALOR STAR: An innovation team from the Muallim District Police Headquarters in Perak has developed a Body Shield Protector (BSP) to help police personnel deal with physical threats while on patrol duties.
The BSP, finalised in January, is specifically designed for Mobile Patrol Vehicle (MPV), Motorcycle Patrol Unit (URB) and Crime Prevention Patrol team members.
T-MALIM team leader assistant superintendent Nor Afizah Md Nasir, said the team, comprising three senior officers and five lower-ranked personnel, created the BSP in response to the Inspector-General of Police's call for the MPV Branch to use protective gear when dealing with mentally unstable individuals, intoxicated persons and aggressive behaviour in the field.
"The concept first surfaced in May 2023, and we then discussed and did research on how to create a body shield that could be quickly deployed, easy to handle, portable and inexpensive to make.
"The current body shields have limitations in size, occupying storage space, and are not usable by URB and Crime Prevention Patrol members who use motorcycles," she told reporters yesterday.
Nor Afizah said the BSP prototype underwent several iterations before being fully completed and utilised in January, adding that the materials used for the BSP are similar to those of the current police body shields but with modified sizes and weights.
"We hope that the BSP will facilitate the duties of personnel in the field while ensuring their safety and security are not compromised," she said.
The BSP was introduced to the public at the Royal Malaysia Police Innovation Celebration 2024 at the Kedah Police Contingent Headquarters yesterday. – Bernama