I'm pretty sure those guys have groin protectors as part of their body armour. Peacekeepers who went to South Sudan also wore groin protectors. But indeed most groin protectors are mainly soft armour equivalent Level IIIA. Whilst unlikely to be able to fully stop anything more than a powerful pistol cartridge, it should provide protection against shrapnel, ricochet, bullet spalling, blunt impact and maybe even FMJs that have lost plenty of velocity and not at an ideal angle.
And if you couple a groin protector panel with blast pants, you might just be OK but either way you won't be in any condition to fight, let alone stand up after a hit. (popped balls)
China makes pretty good level IV for very good price! For police units, I imagine they can probably afford it. Checkout militech , just one glimpse into the Chinese body armor industry. $85 for level IV is very reasonable, probably even cheaper if purchased domestically.
