Police and Massey University design students have teamed-up to put old Kevlar to good use. 

Redundant armour plates from old out-of-warranty stab-resistant body armour (SRBA) have been recycled into a variety of items in a project designed to cut down on waste.

The armour-based creations of 25 design students were on display at Police National Headquarters on Monday and an exhibition of selected pieces will remain in place for a few days.

Body armour is made to be hard to damage – which is great when it’s protecting its wearer but becomes a problem when disposing of it.

“The standard practice globally for getting rid of armour plate is to dig a hole and bury it,” says Police Operations Manager - Operational Capability Inspector Geoff Logan.

“We’ve got three tonnes of Kevlar armour awaiting disposal, so we thought ‘There has to be a better way’.”

First Aid Kit for police cars. Photo: Supplied.

The question was presented to third-year Industrial Design students at Massey University’s School of Design in Wellington as a compulsory project.

“They were each given two hard armour plates and two sets of soft armour and told ‘Here you are – make something with this’,” says Geoff.

The students had six weeks to research, design and build items – and their products demonstrated an awesome degree of creativity and skill, from a sunglasses case to furniture.

"We are delighted to see that some of the designs could be considered police-specific, such as a Police-issue first aid kit to fit the available space in our Škoda vehicles."

Other designs are folding road cones, a patient carrier for first responders and even a seatbelt cutting/glass-breaking tool.

“This is something we’re very happy to be involved with,” says Massey Industrial Design Subject Director Associate Professor Lyn Garrett.

“The students took the project and the materials into places we just weren’t expecting. We really appreciate our relationship with Police.”

Police investigators notebook. Photo: NZ Police.

Police has a long association with Massey’s School of Design, with an MOU in place since 2017.

In the past Police and Massey have collaborated on projects including design of a new dog pod for Police vehicles and the uniform hijab for police women, which made headlines around the world.

Separately, police has been looking at ways of reducing waste from redundant uniforms and equipment.

This has included recycling initiatives which started four years ago with a process to reuse Police buttons. Retired Police jerseys have been repurposed into blankets, and potential uses for other obsolete items are being investigated.

Meanwhile, used but still usable items such as boots, forage caps and high-vis gear are donated to Pacific police services.