ABOUT 200 police officers in central Hampshire have been kitted out with stab proof body armour which is tough enough to guard against knives, needles and blunt weapons.

The officers in the Winchester district are among the first in the county to be supplied with the new gear which is designed to provide them with the best possible protection.

The £1.5m programme is being rolled out on an administrative basis and all officers across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight will be wearing it by November.

Chief Inspector Richard Burrows at Winchester said: "Body armour is not new to the officers, but what we have at the moment is limited. From now on officers will wear the vests at all times when on patrol.

"The vests are not a reflection of any particular threat in Central Hampshire, and are worn as a matter of course by many other forces. Now they're being rolled out to other forces as a standard piece of equipment. It's nothing for people to be concerned about; it is just important that police officers are protected in the best way possible."

He added: "It hasn't been rolled out according to where has got the most violence. It is an administrative process."

All police officers, special constables and civilian detention officers will get the personal issue equipment over the next few days.

It will be compulsory for all uniformed operational police to wear it when on duty and will be specially fitted to the individual.

CID officers and other departments will wear their equipment on a risk-assessed basis.

A review completed by Hampshire Constabulary showed that officers are "more likely to come into harms way from blunt weapons than any other implement", so they opted for a higher specification to guard against them.