During the 1990s, increased attacks on police officers and several fatalities, led to body armour being introduced across frontline roles in police forces up and down the country.

Before it was introduced in West Midlands Police, many officers were already starting to fear for their own safety and had invested in their own body armour. Sometimes covert options that went under their shirt, to give them peace of mind. ​

When the force issued body armour to all uniformed officers, whilst there may have been a few different sizes, generally it was a ‘one-size fits all’ approach to body type, which of course it doesn’t. This didn’t consider different sizes and body shapes particularly for female officers and could be incredibly uncomfortable.​

It wasn’t until the tragic death of DC Mick Swindells in 2004 that the decision was made to extend the roll-out of body armour to non-uniformed roles.