A Police / Security Guard duty belt (sometimes referred to as a gun belt, and/or kit belt ) is a belt, typically constructed of Nylon / Polypropylene or leather used by Police and Security Guard to carry equipment easily, in a readily-accessible manner, while leaving the hands free to interact.
Most duty belts have a width of 2-1/4 inches and are either made of / polypropylene or leather. Many Canadian police departments have had officers complain[10][11] of having back pain due to their supposedly rigid leather belts. In response, many Canadian departments are now switching to nylon /polypropylene belts because they are considered by some to be more flexible.
Duty belts wrap around the officer's waist and fasten with a buckle at the front. This is often protected by a velcro cover to prevent release of the belt by anyone other than the officer.
Equipment commonly carried on the belt includes: handcuff, radios, baton, hand-held protection devices such as pepper spray, firearms and ammunition, flashlights, batteries, gloves, pens, pencils, keys, multi-tool, window punch etc. The equipment carried largely differs from country to country, and between areas in the same country not only because of choice but natural hazards — e.g. pepper spray would freeze in very cold climates. In some countries officers carry a knife
