By Sandra Soldo
A project team led by Police Association of NSW executive member,
Luke Hannon, has begun a trial of the Shape Shifter Gel Belt.
The trial is designed to decrease the number of injuries the current-issue
accoutrement belts cause police officers, and return those officers
currently on ”rehabilitation - return to work plans” to fully operational
duties.
Among the trial’s 80 participants, 66 have associated injuries and
14 are acting as control officers. These officers are attached to
different local area commands throughout NSW and cover most sections,
including General Duties, Highway Patrol, Transits, Mounted Police
and Trail Bikes.
The first stage of the trial requires participants to test-run the
Gel Belt over a period of three months. All participants have to complete
and return a”pre-trial evaluation”, which relates to the current-issue
leather accoutrement belt.
At the end of each of the three months for which the Gel Belt is
worn, participants must complete and return a”Gel Belt evaluation”.
This feedback is essential for the success of the trial.
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Above: a front close-up shot
which shows the belt’s fastening clip.
Below: from the rear. |
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Metro police participants - with their current leather accoutrement
belts - will attend the OSTU building, Westmead, where they will be
outfitted with the trial belt, cargo pants, GP boots and cap. OSTU
will keep the current leather accoutrement belts.
Trial participants will also go through a drill that involves drawing
their Glocks, re-holstering and magazine-change practice. A similar
drill involves the extendable baton, handcuffs and OC spray.
The same process will apply to country police who participate in
the trial, but their local weapons instructors will show them how
to set up the belt and take them through the drill.
The Gel Belt will take about two weeks to mould to the shape of
the wearer’s body and thereby lose some of its stiffness. By then,
the wearer should notice a dramatic difference. To provide back support,
the Gel Belt is wider and generally feels bulkier, owing to its padding
and the use of Velcro.
The association has already identified a number of problems with
the Gel Belt, such as the adjustment straps which, in due course,
will be reverted to the rear of the belt and Velcro-locked in.
Others
have noted the Gel Belt’s lack of space for appointments. But trial
participants’ general comments have so far been largely positive.
The information the trial officers provide, in the form of monthly
evaluations, will be crucial to the success of this project.
The trial comes after a May 2003 state-wide survey to identify operational
police officers who had either sustained injuries as a result of wearing
the current-issue accoutrement belts, or were unable to wear it owing
to HOD injuries.
To date, the Police Association of NSW has received replies from
more than 1,000 operational and non-operational (owing to work-related
injuries) police officers who have experienced problems with the belt.
As well as Luke Hannon, the project team includes other association
representatives and members of the NSW Police Uniform Services, Health
Services, Industrial Relations, Occupational Health and Rehabilitation,
Workers Compensation & Review and OSTU.
• For related articles, see Overloaded: how the New South Wales
police accoutrement belt plagues its wearers (Police Journal,
February 2004), and Accoutrement belt trial to commence (Police
Journal, June 2004).
