Delhi Police floats tender for bulletproof vests; 1,000 jackets likely to be bought in first phase

NEW DELHI: A fortnight after TOI highlighted the lack of bulletproof armour in the ranks of Delhi Police, the department has decided to float a global tender for protective vests. Sources say 1,000 jackets will be bought in the first phase, but police haven't considered buying helmets-a gear without which the jacket is useless.

At present, the 90,000-strong force has roughly 250 bulletproof vests, which are mostly used by personnel posted in the high-security New Delhi district. These jackets are not just outdated but also heavy, weighing around 11kg apiece, an officer said, adding that it was difficult to keep these jackets on for hours.

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The new vests are likely to cost Rs 1 lakh-much more than the older vests that cost Rs 40,000. These will come in two types-level III and III+. Of the 1,000, 950 will belong to the first category. The ones for the commandos would not weigh more than 5kg, while others would get vests weighing 2.5kg-3kg. These jackets can withstand bullets fired by submachine guns, shotguns and even AK-series rifles.

Special commissioner (law and order) Deepak Mishra had earlier asked police's procurement department to buy the vests on priority. The provision and logistics wing has begun processing the files ever since. Products of both Indian and global manufacturers are being looked at.

Many policemen have died in the past because they either had no bulletproof jackets or wore poor quality ones. Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma had died in the Batla House encounter in 2008 as he had no vest on, while the former Mumbai ATS chief Hemant Karkare died despite wearing a vest during the 26/11 strike.
In 2013, a court had expressed concern about the city's ill-equipped policemen.