Qld police ILBV: Minister Dan Purdie’s assurance on rollout

Former cop turned police minister Dan Purdie has given assurances to frontline officers after an equipment glitch left them exposed.

Police Minister Dan Purdie on Thursday. Picture: Liam Kidston

A delay in issuing lifesaving protective vests to hundreds of police officers is unacceptable, says Police Minister Dan Purdie, who has vowed the kink in the rollout has been fixed.

As many as 350 petite female police officers have been working for more than a year without a tailored new-generation integrated load-bearing vest (ILBV), designed to give better protection against bladed weapons and firearms.

This is because regular armour plates were too big to fit in the smaller-sized vests, causing delays. Queensland, unlike other jurisdictions, opted for personalised ILBVs instead of buying ready-made off-the-shelf in a contract originally slated to cost $24.4m for 12,200 vests, according to government media statements.

Queensland Police procurement records show the force has so far paid Victoria-based Australian Defence Apparel $25.3m for ILBVs since 2023.

Mr Purdie, a former detective sergeant in the Child Protection and Investigation Unit, said it was unacceptable frontline officers did not have access to the lifesaving equipment.

“I understand this process has potentially taken too long,” he said.

“They do still have access to the (previous) vests, and I’ve been told that the (new vests) are now being fast-tracked.

Part of a knife blade protrudes from an integrated load-bearing vest after an attempted stabbing at Brisbane’s Central Station in December 2023.

“As I keep saying, I was on the front line, and I want to make sure my old friends on the front line have the best available equipment available to them when they do their job.”

Mr Purdie said the armour-plate issue had been solved and it was a case of getting the equipment certified.

He confirmed the Queensland Police Union had previously raised the issue with him.

Union president Shane Prior said it would not accept equipment that was substandard or put officers’ safety at risk.

“It is imperative that every police officer has the same level of protection across the entire service,” Mr Prior said.

“I dread the possibility of any police officer sustaining injuries from bladed weapons, firearms or blunt-force trauma because the ILBV specially designed by Queensland police for Queensland conditions was not issued as a complete package or with modifications.”

The new vests have saved the lives of frontline officers involved in stabbing incidents, including a Brisbane City officer stabbed when arresting an offender at Central Station in 2023, with part of the blade left protruding from the vest.