Question to the Home Office:

What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the protective equipment available to police forces.

The Government is clear that police officers should have the best possible protection when facing the physical violence that is sometimes directed against them. Decisions about the selection and purchase of police equipment are primarily for chief officers of police. The Home Office Centre for Applied Science and Technology provides scientific and technical advice to support the police, including the development and management of protective equipment standards, such as body armour and personal defence sprays.