How University of Portsmouth scientists are helping to cut down female police officers’ discomfort and injury while on duty

Oscar Kilo (OK), the National Police Wellbeing Service (NPWS), has employed experts from the University of Portsmouth’s Research Group in Breast Health and the University of Lincoln to develop a training programme to help overcome issues faced by female officers.

It will cover breast pain, breast size, bra fit issues and appropriate breast support as well as carry out the evaluation of police officer personal protective equipment (PPE) and how it interacts with different bra styles and impacts breast health.

Dr Jenny Burbage, from the RGBH, said: ‘Police activity is physically demanding, with officers often having to perform strenuous activities, like running and self-defence.

‘Without the right breast support, a female officer is restricted physically, mentally, and also at a greater risk of being injured because they’re not properly fitted and protected.’

Dr Yvonne Taylor, chief Inspector and OK healthy living lead from NPWS, said: ‘Our goal is for all females in policing to have access to useful breast health resources and information, no matter what force they’re in.

‘We’re excited to be working with world-leading experts in the field of biomechanics at the universities of Portsmouth and Lincoln on this project.’

The project has been launched after feedback from some of the 50,000 female officers who wear body armour found that it can be uncomfortable and painful when worn for hours.

Although it has been redesigned to be lighter and more flexible with a female-specific version, not all forces have upgraded to the new kit.

Dr Burbage said that the team would test with volunteers the suitability of wearing sports bras for long-term use at work after recent studies showed that 17% of female police officers wore them for work.

She said that while sports bras were known to reduce breast movement and pain during high-intensity activities, their suitability for long-term wear was currently unknown.

She said: “We want to test how effective and comfortable sports bras are for officers who are wearing them under PPE.

‘Recent reports suggest the majority of females wearing body armour find it either uncomfortable or very uncomfortable with a bra, regardless of the type worn. Clearly there’s a need for further research into how the two interact.

‘Our lab-based project will measure breast movement underneath the armour, and monitor how officers move with them on. We’ll also check if any part of the body is exposed or at risk of injury because of this movement.’

Beth Canty, a senior research associate at the University of Portsmouth, who is testing the individuals, said: ‘We’ll ask the participants to do tasks, like running and jumping, with various combinations of equipment and bras.

‘Then using reflective markers on anatomical landmarks on their bodies, we’ll accurately track their movement using state-of-the-art motion capture systems.’