ARMOUR FOR POLICE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIII, 26 July 1929, Page 7

ARMOUR FOR POLICE

DANGERS MINIMISED EEW SAFETY DEVICES Chief constables all fiver the country have had brought to their notice u form of armour plating for policemen, (he invention of Air Robert Gladstone, of Liverpool. The idea—an ingenious one—has been Worked out by the inventor in view of the increasing use of firearms by criminals. It recalls the sensational episode of the Sydney street siege of 1911. On that occasion, it will be remembered, Mm police were baffled, and several wounded, because they had no movable “cover” umler which they could lace the terrific pistol lire front the house. Air Gladstone's device consists of u folding steel screen mounted on a handy it ruck with two rubber-tyred wheels, which forms a sort of tank truck.” There are two narrow slits in the screen and an aperture through which tlie advancing policeman can fire a revolver. A removable box for tear-gas bombs, or for spare handcuffs, batons or other weapons, is fitted on the back of the screen. • The truck also carries a. portable handshield which can be used when entering a liottse. It is presumably bullet-proof. As policemen advance on the Criminals they take their truck, .one wheeling, t he other close behind, and they aiv provided with powerful crow-bars, a sledge hammer and an. axe. Shields have been tested on standard weapons, including the Webley Service revolver, the “M.lV’ automatic pistol and the Mauser pistol. Use of such instruments as these Shields is not often necessary, but their undoubted value in certain emergency cases has caused their merits to be carefully inquired into by the police authorities. The cost of the truck shield complete, with hand-shield, crowbars and general outfit, works out at about £45.