Over 3,000 German police women are to be issued with what have been described as “bullet-proof bras” in a bid to provide them with complete undercover protection.

The thickly padded bras, which have no metal parts and look like sports bras, are made from cotton, polyester, elastic and some other synthetic materials and feature the word “Polizei” along the seam. They are designed to offer improved protection to female officers wearing traditional bullet-proof vests.

A police spokesman explained that female officers wearing normal bras with metal parts underneath a bullet-proof vest were at a slight safety risk, Reuters reports. If the vest is hit by a bullet, injuries can occur when the vest is pushed back. The plastic and metal parts of a standard brassiere can be forced into an officer’s flesh.

You are under a vest

Dozens of German policewomen have already tested the new bras and, after a two-month long trial, the underwear is being issued to officers as part of their uniform.

Officers will be allocated three bras each and can choose from a range of designs, varying in size and style. However, it remains up to each officer to decide whether she will plump for the bullet resistant lingerie. According to the BBC, a German police spokesman was keen to point out that the new bras "are optional".