Here for you

19 March 2020

At the time of writing, the number of official UK cases of coronavirus stood at 2,692 with the death toll having reached 137 and we are all too aware that both of those figures are likely to continue to rise, perhaps significantly.

As the Government gets to grip with trying to deal with the crisis, the like of which most of us will not have seen in our life-times, police forces across the country are also putting their own plans into place. As a Federation, we have been involved with our senior management team’s own planning process, taking part in Gold and Silver briefings.

Of course, while the Government advice is for people to work from home if they can, there are many roles in front-line policing where that is just not possible.

We are an emergency service; this is an emergency. Police officers are going to be in the front-line of the nation’s response, seeking to serve and protect our communities, and support the vulnerable.

Sadly, it’s inevitable that police officers and police staff are also going to be affected by the coronavirus and this will put an already stretched service under even more pressure.

I think it’s safe to assume that we are going to have to make some tough decisions in terms of prioritising the calls for assistance that come into us. But I also know that each and every day police officers will remain not only committed to doing the job they joined up to do but also that they will go above and beyond the call of duty to try to protect the public.

I would just like to reassure all members that the Federation is here and will do all it can to offer you support and advice during the difficult times ahead.

Take care of yourselves and remember to stay up to date with all the latest advice from the Government through Public Health England and the comprehensive information and guidance which is available on Connect.