WHAT'S IN A NAME? - WHY CUIRAZZ?

Cuirazz derives its name from the French word Cuirass which Encyclopaedia Britannica describes as follows: 'Body armour that protects the torso of the wearer above the waist or hips. Originally it was a thick leather garment covering the body from neck to waist, consisting of a breastplate and a back piece fastened together with straps and buckles and a gorget; a collar protecting the throat. In Homeric and Hellenistic times, it was made of bronze. Cuirasses of leather as well as iron were worn by officers in the armies of the Roman Empire. Later made of steel, the cuirass was forerunner to the body armour worn to deflect bullets.'

BUYING PROTECTION AGAINST A THREAT

Digby Dyke relates; "I remember years ago a salesman friend working for a heating company saying his customers didn't buy pipes and radiators they bought heat. I liked that. He meant that it was the benefit and purpose of the equipment that was the point of having it, not the equipment itself. So, before consideration is given to anything else the benefit and purpose of the equipment comes first. In the case of body armour this has to be the protection it will provide.

Body Armour is about protection, protection, protection. In determining what armour should be used one has to do a risk assessment on the possible threats that exist at a specific location and then determine the level and type of protection required. Also requiring consideration is the message that could be conveyed in wearing specific types of armour. Principally, there are two generic types of armour, Covert - worn under clothing and not normally visible, and Overt - worn over clothing, often as an adjunct to uniform and therefore highly visible. Wearing overt armour in certain environments could evoke negative and confrontational reactions. There is a specialised option where armour is built into a garment such as a jacket."

BODY PROTECTION LOSING ITS RESITANCE WHEN WET

Another threat that should be taken into account in some instances is the possibility of reduction in ballistic protection due to the ingress of moisture to the armour. If body armour is to be worn by waterborne law-enforcement officers, such as coastal protection officers, or by a security officer exposed to wet weather, there is a risk that water could get past any waterproofing of the body armour if the linings and covers are damaged.

Digby Dyke comments; "A tiny pin-prick or tear in covers could be enough in the right conditions to allow sufficient moisture to enter the armour to reduce its protective properties. In two trials in the US with which I had direct involvement a few years ago body armour failed due to the presence of moisture. In the first case the moisture was perspiration. Several vests with porous linings in addition to armour material that had not been treated with water-repellent were taken from police officers finishing duties for the day and shot. In all cases bullets perforated the vests. In another case, a body armour salesman demonstrating his own products for their tolerance of moisture inspired the prospective customer - military in this case - to test their own recent-issue new armour vests for tolerance to moisture. A sample was wetted and tested there and then, and this failed too."

CHEAP AND CHEERFUL PROTECTION

A common yet dangerous trend is the use of the internet market place e.g. eBay to buy body armour. Outrageous claims as to the performance of the armour are being made as Digby Dyke relates, "I saw and purchased a body armour jacket from a vendor on eBay described as 'This jacket is 100% Stab proof & will stop small arms fire from most standard rifles. It will also protect from grenade & artillery shell blasts. This is now issued to all Troops operating in Iraq & Afghanistan!'.

It was absolutely not any of these things and the vendor knew it. After making the purchase and receiving the vest I told him who I was and he blustered the feeble excuse that he had sent me the wrong vest. As it turned out the vendor was a former soldier selling his own surplus issue fragmentation vest. I got my money back but never got the 'right' vest!"

Not fit for purpose, uncertified armour vests are being sold on e-Bay at prices of less than £100 which could lead to the unsuspecting user to believe that they have adequate protection possibly resulting in a fatality. Misleading (deliberate or otherwise) and false claims about the performance or certification of body armour are not confined to the innocent and the amateur. There have been many cases discovered of falsity and incorrect or misleading information among the trade and profession in recent years which have contributed to the introduction of further safeguards into the HOSDB body armour standards.

Dyke comments; "There was no case worse than one in the United States where performance deteriorated and deaths occurred, a multi-million dollar well respected business was bankrupted, and business executives were charged with criminal offences."

Whilst researching content for this website we discovered a personal tale of woe. On e-Bay is a "Stabproof/ Bulletproof Buyers Guide" titled 'Bullet Proof Vests' - Beware! written by Pkofiarbo (pseudonym) in which he warns; "There are several companies/persons selling 'bulletproof' vests on ebay. When buying a vest, please beware of buying them, even if the seller has a high rating, the product may not be up to scratch. Having recently purchased a vest from a seller on e-bay, I had discovered the Kevlar in the vest was from the 1980's period, and also the seller had reassured me that it had the ability to protect me from ballistic objects. However, if you see any seller saying the vest is similar to NRJ 2A or similar, this is WRONG. The correct classification is NIJ II A (The US standard accredited by the National Institute of Justice)."

(Direct Transcript from the e-Bay website - Authors permission received) The author provided the website details of the alleged offending vendor only to discover on visiting the website, there was a recall notice for faulty stab vests.