PPSS Can stab vests improve the personal safety of council staff? Preventing the abuse and attacks on public sector workers and subsequent injuries is now a priority issue for many governments. Work-related violence is a contributing factor to stress and absenteeism among staff costing UK employers £700 million annually. Do I think that concealable and lightweight stab vests should be part of this priority? Yes, and I say this regardless of the fact that we design, develop and manufacture such equipment! We know (based on many years of operational frontline experience) that a person
Truly outrageous physical attacks on traffic wardens, licensing and trading standards teams, as well as housing enforcement officers, have been revealed in data released by local authorities across the UK.
who is either intoxicated, simply has a serious dislike for the organisation you represent or aggressively disagrees with any decision you are about to make can overreact to anything you say or do, and in such ‘delicate’ moment, a lightweight covert stab vests will help protect you from a potential impulsive physical assaults such person might commit. Truly outrageous physical attacks on traffic wardens, licensing and trading standards teams, as well as housing enforcement officers, have been revealed in data released by local authorities across the UK. However, based on the very latest figures obtained, we also have to confirm that 437 addresses in Scotland alone have been ‘red flagged’ due to serious negative experiences of ambulance professionals, which include serious physical assaults and threat using edged weapons and a variety of blunt objects. Recent statistics released under the Freedom of Information Act also reveal incidents of council staff in the UK being punched, bitten, head-butted, attacked with pool cues and even suffering sexual abuse. Many of these attacks have resulted in injuries bad enough for the worker to require hospital treatment and often surgery. The media is full of reports covering these incidents. Fairly recent headlines within the last three months read:
‘Traffic warden attacked by driver’ For any further information on covert bullet proof vests please contact PPSS Group: Email: info@ppss-group.com Call:
+44 (0) 845 5193 953
‘Council staff hit with pool cues, punched in the face and sexually assaulted in the line of duty’ ‘400 no-go areas for ambulance staff’ ‘Council worker assaulted in night time attack’
Visit: www.ppss-group.com
We must admit these statistics and news of incidents are a stark reminder of the
or contact our licensed international distributors
dangers faced by many public sector workers as they go about their work – often on relatively low levels of pay.
PPSS We will hopefully also agree that all of our public servants should feel safe to carry out their important work without the threat of physical and verbal abuse. It’s important to stress that some reported incidents, especially those involving care staff, are related to the medical conditions of people receiving a service… but nevertheless protection for these frontline professionals is something that needs looking at. ‘Protection’ should/could include effective conflict management training, lone worker safety devices (tracking & alarm systems), radio communication and covert or overt stab vests. Who’s at risk? • Environmental Officers – Enforcing regulations and to police the systems PPSS Covert Stab Vest
places officers at risk from violence as well as accidents at work. • Trading Standard Officers – Visiting car boot sales and assisting police during raids can be a high risk job at times. • Licensing Enforcement Officers – Visiting nightclubs, taxi ranks, take aways and other late night venue puts them in contact with intoxicate and sometimes hostile members of the public. • Housing Officers – Verbal and physical attacks from tenants, when discussing issues such as ‘rent areas’ • Probation Officers – At a high risk of violence due to the nature of this work. • Traffic Enforcement Officers – At a high risk of verbal and physical attack from angry drivers.
PPSS Overt Stab Vest
UK based PPSS Group is dedicated to designing, developing and manufacturing of high performance covert stab vests, in order to protect these domestic frontline professionals. To make it very clear, I am of course not saying everyone working for a local council or ambulance service is at risk of getting stabbed or brutally assaulted... of course not! But I do say that, subject to a number of factors e.g. tome of work, location of work, and job responsibilities, there are clear identifiable risks, and I feel strongly that these great professionals have the right to be equipped appropriately and that they deserve the very best care and equipment. PPSS stab vests also offer unrivalled protection from blunt forced trauma, internal injuries that occur following a kick, punch or objects thrown at an individual. Blunt
PPSS Hi-Viz Overt Stab Vest
For any further information on covert bullet proof vests please contact PPSS Group: Email: info@ppss-group.com Call:
+44 (0) 845 5193 953
Visit: www.ppss-group.com or contact our licensed international distributors
forced trauma related injuries are far more common than edged weapon or firearm related injuries Our Head of Consultancy Simon Wilson would be delighted to hear from you in case you wish to discuss this subject any further. You can make contact by email info@ppss-group.com call us on 0845 5193 953 or visit www.ppss-group.com
Robert Kaiser, CEO PPSS Group