THE Northern Ireland police force, which came under heavy fire during riots last weekend, will soon be equipped with new body armour developed in Malvern.

The bullet-proof vests, the most advanced in the world, can protect the wearer against gunfire, stabbing and even fragments of shrapnel from a grenade or bomb blast.

Developed by Lorica Research, a Malvern-based company, the body armour is already in use by some British Special Forces units, the Saudi Arabian interior security services and some fire arms units within UK police forces.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland has chosen to replace its current body armour with vests made from the unique armoured material developed by Lorica.

Every single operational PSNI officer will be issued with one of the £450 vests over the next five years, a total of 15,000. The first vests in the new material will be issued at the end of this month.

Police in Northern Ireland face the greatest threats and levels of violence of any police service in the UK, a fact brought home when 32 police officers were injured when loyalist paramilitaries fired more than 50 shots during violent clashes in Belfast last Saturday.

"We know for certain that our vests have saved lives and it gives a tremendous feeling of satisfaction to think that something we've created will protect people and save them from injury and death," said Digby Dyke, director of Lorica Research.

He said it was likely that the company's amazing material, which is 15 times stronger than steel, would be increasingly used in body armour worldwide.

The material, a combination of fibres woven into a textile and then impregnated with resin, is manufactured under licence from Lorica Research by specialist textile manufacturers in America and Europe, ready for use by body armour manufacturers. Lorica Research receives royalties for its invention.

The vests are stronger and lighter than anything else available, weighing around thee kilos. Unlike other bullet-proof vests, they can protect the wearer even against direct fire from sub-machine guns like UZIs at close range.

The Ministry of Defence is currently evaluating the material for use by Britain's own armed forces.