Experienced officials about tragic death of colleague: bulletproof vest would not have helped



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Lithuanian police representative Ramūnas Matonis stated in the program that 95 percent of police officers are equipped with protective vests.

“After the painful incident in 2016, when a police officer was stabbed, a long-considered decision was made to provide vests to responding police officers (to events, aut. P.). And now, so to speak, all officers who work on the streets and react to events are equipped with 95 percent of their vests. (…) A vest is not an omnipotent protection measure that protects 100 percent of officers. Their behavior, tactics, access, all other security measures are also very important, “said a police representative at the show.

Saulius Grigonis, president of the Lithuanian Police Workers Union, noted an even bigger problem with the program: Policemen don’t like to wear vests.

“Yes, officials are not willing to use them, here, as they say, it is a matter of official decision. Because there is no regulation since there is no evaluation of the situation to use it. And we are right in this situation, I spoke with experts about the properties of the weapon used would not have been helped by a vest at this location, “said S. Grigonis on the” Delfi Diena “program.

Police spokesman R. Matonis clarified S. Grigonis, saying that the use of protective vests is mandatory.

Experienced officials about tragic death of colleague: bulletproof vest would not have helped

© DELFI / Rita Gečiūnaitė

“There is an order from the Commissioner General that it is mandatory to wear vests issued in response to events. By choosing these vests, they were chosen to be more comfortable. Selected not very heavy, with which it is not very hot. “They must use them at all times in the service,” he said.

A police spokesperson confirmed that the culture of using them among police officers is not yet in full swing.

“The vests are delivered late last year or early this year, which is another novelty for officials.” And we hear such complaints that it is uncomfortable to drive, heat, etc. But we are really trying to instill in our officials that this is very important. And this case shows that an apparently not-so-dangerous event can be very expensive. The officer, if he knew when a vest was needed, would put it on. But the police service is so unpredictable, “said a police spokesman.

He added that after the tragedy this Friday, all the police were wearing protective vests.

Guilty of relaxation?

Linas Pernavas, a police attache in the UK, said that after a time working in the UK, she could safely say that Lithuania was a safe country. However, it is precisely because they do not receive an aggressive attack every day that police officers often relax.

“Using the gun itself, I had to take out the gun myself and turn it against a person. You have to have automatic skills to think about the legal nuances in no time. Meanwhile, you either pay and use it automatically, or not,” said the former police commissioner L. Pernav on the use of the weapon.

He also said that the protective vest would not have protected the police officer from the weapon used on Friday.

Delphi He recalls that on Friday the police received a report about a violent man who set fire to his house in the village of Birbiliškės, an old man in Viekšniai, Mažeikiai district. The suspect (born 1968) greeted the arriving patrols with gunfire. Seriously wounded, S. Žymantas soon died. The killer was found dead at a fire station.

According to Greta Frajerytė, Telšiai County Police Representative, S. Žymantas began working with the police on June 11, 2001. He was promoted 12 times during his tenure, most recently in 2018. In November, he received a commemorative badge of third grade for his years of service.

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