Minister of National Security, Dr Horace Chang, is assuring that bullet-proof vests acquired for members of the security force are of the best quality.

He gave the assurance on Wednesday (March 1), while addressing members of the Standing Finance Committee of the House, which is currently reviewing the 2023/24 Estimates of Expenditure.

A bullet-proof vest, also known as a ballistic vest or bullet-proof body vest, is a popular type of body armour.  It helps in absorbing the impact and reducing or preventing penetration of the torso by firearm-fired projectiles and fragmentations from explosions.

“The vests we acquire are of the appropriate and best quality for the men on the road. We may, sometimes, have a gap in the numbers as they come in because of procurement, and so forth. But the vests they get are of the best quality,” Chang said.

Boosting the Ministry’s asset management programme

He advised that approximately 1,000 are being distributed, noting that the Ministry’s asset management programme is being boosted to, among other things, manage equipment.

“We have to assure the members at all times that we are buying the best vests. There is a small gap in supply and when you get that gap… sometimes an officer may keep his old one, and that happens, but what we buy is of the best quality.

“It’s when we are changing over because they have a life span, and we have to buy in time to remove them from the service in due course… . We are seeking to overcome some of that in terms of improving our whole asset management programme which is being automated and put in place,” he said.