Essex Officers Pulling Together In Coronavirus Crisis

30 March 2020

Essex Police officers are ‘making it work’ and are ‘pulling together’ to deal with the pressures of the coronavirus crisis.

Essex Police Federation says trying to deliver business as usual policing in these anything but usual times has been a real challenge and has stretched already thin resources.

Chairman Steve Taylor knows officers are worried about the impact the crisis is having but says their desire to do the best they very can is pulling them through.

He said: “In my experience on the team level, on the local level, you’re working for your mates around you, you’re making it work, you’re pulling it together.

“It’s when you start going a bit wider out, and you start asking people’s views what the force-wide morale is, I think people then tend to suggest it’s a bit grimmer.

“It’s a difficult one. There’s a lot of worried Bobbies up and down Essex. They’re worried about the future. They’re worried about the uncertainty, and they’re just trying to do the best they can in those circumstances. It’s that trying to do the best they can that’s getting us through, I think.”

Trying to deliver normal everyday policing set against the unprecedented times of the coronavirus is ‘wearing thin’, Steve admitted. However, Federation members’ fortitude is enabling the force to put officers out on the frontline.

He explained: “Being brutally honest, business as usual is starting to wear thin on the frontline.

“We’re trying to support as many people as possible being able to work remotely, but of course there are elements of our service that can’t do that and so those people have got to come in.

“We’re trying to juggle those that have got to come in with dependents who need to be isolated or need shielding or childcare issues.

“There’s a whole host of very, very good reasons for pulling people away from the workplace and it’s only our members up and down the force and their fortitude that allows a lot of them to carry on coming to work.

“The easier thing to do would be to stay at home and look after your nearest and dearest. But thankfully we’re getting the frontline staff; we’re able to deliver the office that we’re all sworn to uphold and do the best we can.”