Is safety on the job so much to ask for?
Sikh policemen in England are effectively prevented from becoming firearms officers because of their religious beliefs. They are not allowed to remove their turbans, but the traditional head wraps won’t fit under standard safety helmets. So they’re asking for a technology-fueled alternative: bulletproof turbans.
The British Police Sikh Association’s vice chairman said they are requesting the development of “a ballistic product, made out of a synthetic fibre, that would ensure a certain degree of protection, so Sikh police officers could take part in these roles.”
Research has already begun on the battle-turbans, and while no guarantees have been made, they seem like a feasible goal—though one that might not conform to the most traditional of styles. No word yet on whether the turban would have to be produced in a more solid form, rather than as a long piece of cloth. But soft Kevlar vests do exist and some Kevlar can even be woven, as opposed to bulletproof vests which are layered. Hopefully the turban designers will go for lightweight as well—or, at least, develop a support system for poor neck muscles.
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Image: Flickr / jas kaur
May 8th, 2009 at 5:12 am
The article kind of lends itself to the thought of some sort of cloth-like material being wrapped in the hair/on the head to prevent a bullet from penetrating.
But I’d think the kinetic force might be enough to could quite kill unless there is some sort of external reinforcement.
Why not just modify the traditional helmet? Seems way more practical to me.
May 8th, 2009 at 6:09 am
Hmmm I can see this product being exported to the indian army. They have used regiments of Sikh soldiers for decades now whose only protection for the head has been the cotton cloth turbans. So this material will have its uses in many fields not just for making bullet proof turbans.
May 8th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
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May 9th, 2009 at 10:25 am
ARE YOU ALL SO FUCKING THICK!!!! SIKHS CAN NOT WEAR HELMETS SO HOW CAN THEY MODIFY THE ‘TRADITIONAL’ HELMET. ITS OK WHEN THEY FOUGHT IN WW1 AND WW2 FOR THIS COUNTRY BUT THEY ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH NOW!