How to Choose the Best Bullet Proof Vests for Your Security Personnel?

Soldiers and security forces face dangers every day. Whether it?s Iraq, Afghanistan or Ukraine, it?s only brave soldiers who risk their lives. Even in any peaceful nation, security personnel may have to face sudden bullet shots. This is the reason why governments, agencies and authorities must think about the safety and security of their security forces.

A bullet proof vest often provides a basic level of protection, and could be a vital piece of equipment for people working in the security. Besides many benefits of using body armors, there are some confusing details that make it harder to pick up the best equipment for personal safety.

Different Armor Styles

Bullet proof vests can roughly be categorized into two different styles, namely, covert and overt. A covert vest can be worn under the clothing, whereas you can wear an overt one over your clothing. Then, there are a few types of versatile vests that you can wear either way. These vests are best suited for emergency situations.

Both covert and overt types come with own set of advantages and disadvantages, and can be suitable for diverse situations. An overt vest is more suitable in conditions where security forces generally work with the members of the public. This displays the authority of the forces and helps in boosting confidence of the public. Furthermore, an overt vest can be designed with logos and other signs, and could prove helpful in identifying the security personnel, representing a particular organization.

However, overt armors could not be suitable for sensitive environments. In order to maintain the secrecy, covert vests are important. In particular, when the threat is likely from high-caliber ammunition, using covert armors for protection appears to be more appropriate. There are many types of covert vests that are specially designed with the armor plates, making them comfortable to wear beneath the clothes.

Protection Level

The most important use of the body armor is the level of protection it offers to the wearer. Many may not know that body armors are graded according to the protection level they can provide. The National Institute of Justice is the authority that tests the ballistic protection levels. The NIJ sets standards for grading the body armors.

The protection level is determined on the basis of the size of the projectile, strength of the ammunition and several other parameters. For example, according to the NIJ standards, Level IIa armor can easily stop a 9mm bullet. On the other hand, a vest graded with Level IV can even protect from 51mm rounds. Level IV is often considered to offer the highest level of protection and is often recommended for soldiers in the war zones. But if there is a negligible chance of high caliber weaponry, then carrying a bulky Level IV vests may not be an ideal option for the security personnel.

Protection from Different Weapons

A bullet proof vest cannot protect a person from all types of threats and weapons. Today, a variety of weapons available that is deadly and can be used easily against the security forces. The threat is not always from the firearms. There are weapons with sharp edges that a vest may fail to stop. The soft fabric used in making the vests could be pierced through by sharp moving objects.

However, a stab proof vest may still use soft fabric but is designed to reduce the force of such attacks and provide a certain level of protection to the wearer. At the same time, stab proof vests can still be bullet proof to mitigate the impact of attacks by spiked weapons. Such stab proof vests often come with a laminated tough surface to ensure protection from stabbing.

Security personnel work in different types of challenging environments. They deal with many types of dangerous situations. For any government or agency, the protection of their security forces should always be the first priority. Thus, it becomes important to choose perfect body armors for the security personnel. However, without understanding the intricacies of the body armors, it could be difficult to choose the best product that ensures the best level of protection to the security forces.