Police personnel on duty need to have their hands clear to help them in their duties. At the same time they need to carry around a lot of equipment that needs to be used during the performance of their duties. This is where duty belts come in handy. They are belts that are made of leather or nylon and are designed in such a way, that they can carry a lot of equipment that can be just as easily accessed whenever it is needed.

Because of this requirement for carrying equipment these belts are quite broad, over 2 inches, and those made of leather are quite stiff and have caused back problems. Modern day police forces have thus switched to making belts from nylon as these remain more flexible and are also more long lasting. Some police forces use vests instead of duty belts to carry the same amount of equipment.

Equipment normally carried on duty belts can include handcuffs, baton, radios, protection devices like sprays, and the inevitable firearm along with ammunition. Duty belts will also carry flashlights, gloves, keys, pens and pencils. The equipment carried may vary from police force to police force and may even have things like first aid kits, CPR masks etc.

Most duty belts are designed in such a way that the holders that carry the equipment can be changed in position and can be adjusted as per the working comfort of the individual officer. The weight of these belts increases substantially after the equipment is in place and can go out of position when an officer is moving about. This requires that such belts have belt keepers to ensure that the belt with the equipment remains in the same position at all times.

Duty belts have always been given a lot of importance by police forces. These belts allow much needed equipment to be carried about by an officer during his or her normal duties and all these pieces of equipment remain easily accessible and can be instantly at hand when needed. The weight of such equipment can be almost 15 pounds and it is not easy for an officer on duty to carry this around. The duty belt completely simplifies this problem and also ensures that all equipment is immediately at hand when needed. For instance, when an officer is chasing and holding on to a fleeing fugitive, the handcuffs needed to restrain the culprit can be easily at hand and be ready for use almost instantly when it is taken from the duty belt. Similarly reporting to headquarters can be immediate through the radios or other call back devices that are in their pouches in the duty belt.

Duty belts are nowadays custom made so that they fit each officer correctly and comfortably. A lot of research and design capabilities have gone into the making and newer materials that enhance performance, looks and durability are constantly being used. Police equipment itself is also undergoing a lot of changes both for effectiveness, weight and technical advances. This requires duty belt manufacturers to constantly keep these advances in mind so that their belts continue to give the sort of assistance to officers that they require during their law enforcement duties.