Wednesday 23 May 2012

Clip on Tie : Essential!

Now a clip on tie isn't normally the kind of Gucci kit that needs a review, but a clip on tie will set you back ~£5, you will use it whenever you are in a suit and it will make your life a hell of a lot safer!

There is a mix op opinion with door supervisors as to whether a clip on tie or a "Dickie" bow tie is the way forward...... Personally I can't see any advantage of the Bow tie over the clip on variety.  Bow ties tend look peculiar, unless you are James bond sporting a tux, and the one thing you don't want to do it draw attention to yourself when working the doors.  Anything that invites ridicule or singles you out is simply increasing your chances of trouble.  From a safety perspective, a bow tie does fasten around the neck, either the clip round variety or the proper tie up kind and so offer a ligature hand hold to any would be assailant all be it a much smaller one than a traditional tie.

The clip on tie fastens to the buttons on the front of the collar and pops off with not very much force at all so you cant be strangled or pulled about by it in any way.  In fact if someone does try and grab it and it comes away in their hand you will gain yourself a couple of seconds as they react to the unexpected result (especially if they a a couple of drinks for the worse) and those couple of seconds will give you a chance to take the upper hand in the situation.  Add to that the fact that a plain black clip on tie will look ok with any shirt or suit colour or style and I can't see why you would choose anything else!

Viper are probably the most well known brand in the security industry for this kind of product and their items are usually pretty reasonably priced.  If you are buying security equipment online it's probably worth buying a couple to save on postage as you will get drinks etc spilled down you at some point and want to give one a wash while you wear you other tie, and one will eventually get broken as you struggle to maintain order and safety with the forces of drunken disorder!

Thursday 17 May 2012

Police Uniform Suppliers

These days cops are issued less and less police uniform, having in general to purchase their own boots, additional pouches and even vests unless you have a medical complaint!   Long gone are the days of the bobby in blue with his white pressed shirt and tie with bash hat and Dr Martens Shoes.  These days police uniforms are a bit more "Tacti-cool" with officers sporting combats, light weight patrol boots a moisture wicking polo shirt (worn under an anything BUT wicking stab vest) and an assortment of belt kit normally heavily customised by the individual officer to suit their uniform needs depending on their specific duties.

Basic police uniform issue will normally include a couple of pairs of pants, a few shirts, 3 types of earpieces, a belt and 2-3 pouches, baton, spray, cuffs and stabby....but getting replacements for lost, stolen or broken kit is always a nightmare.  Unless you are a special constable you will be expected to buy your own footwear at your own expense (specials get a uniform allowance specifically for boots but they have to hand in their dead boots and provide the new invoice and are normally allowed to claim up to £50 per year or £12 per quarter).

At the moment police uniforms are regional, certain neighbouring forces might share specific elements under certain frameworks, but there are no centralised purchasing agreements.  However this is changing and in an effort to cut police uniform costs procurement is being moved to a more centralised national level tender business in an effort to benefit from economies of scale.  It is worth noting however that this was the previous model and it was decided that regional force level purchasing would work out cheaper so this is a bit of a policy flip flop and given the costs of changing the model, will probably end up costing more again than it they left it well enough alone.

In general, despite the more "combative" apperance of the new style uniforms, most officers seem happier with the move to more practical, functional police uniforms than the old suit and clip on tie approach, and the issue of Goretex high viz jackets, fleece tops and heavy weight winter trousers have certainly made life more comfortable than the old capes ever would.

Friday 4 May 2012

Police Vests Review

Police vests are a great way to keep the weight off your hips and reduce back fatigue.  Police vests differ from combat or assault vests in that whilst they both perform the same basic function of allowing kit and equipment to be mounted conveniently on the body, the police and combat vests are required to carry completely different products and give a completely different appearance.

Police vests are normally designed to be worn over a stab vest.  Some stab vests carriers also have a selection of pockets but they normally fall well short of the form and function of a proper vest for the variety and positioning of the pockets and pouches.

A typical design for a police vest would be two airwaves docs on the left and right breast to allow a radio to be mounted on either side, and on the opposite side it is not uncommon for a torch or Peli versabrite to be mounted in a specially designed adapter.  There would also be a baton holder and a CS spray holder.  If the vest is a cross draw the baton holder is on the opposite side the the hand denomination of the wearer, designed to be drawn across the body, and the CS Spray holder then on the opposite side.  Other common Police Vest pouches would be a cuff holder, small torch holder and a couple of general purpose pouches which you can cram an AtoZ, some sandwiches, spare nitrile gloves, pnb, any other docs etc etc.

The most popular brands of Police Vests include Arktis, MCP. 5.11 and Op. Zulu.  Arktis were made popular for their quality but only a few officers can afford one, let alone justify the expense!!! 5.11 are a bit US centric in their design, much more overt "combat" style looks and more focused on firearms uses so magazine pouches etc.  If you are looking for a high quality, reasonably priced, very thoughtfully designed vest I would recommend the Op. Zulu Police Vest without a shadow of a doubt.  Some real thought has been put into the design of this vest with the positioning of the pockets, and the extra features, including pen holders, hidden key keeper, D rings, independent nitrile glove pocket, rear "stash" pocket, light weight mesh shoulders, velcro patch holders etc etc. make Op. Zulu police vests a stand out winner!!!