“Officers need priority access to vaccines”

31 December 2020

Police officers should be given priority access to Covid vaccines, says the national chair of the Police Federation.

John Apter has called on the Prime Minister to ‘do the right thing’ and ensure officers are given the protection they deserve.

He has written to Martin Hewitt, chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), calling for new and urgent representations to be made to the Government on officers’ behalf.

“It’s time for the Prime Minister to do the right thing for police officers in the thick of this pandemic. I am calling on him to back my colleagues in their time of need as more are absent from work after contracting the virus or having to self-isolate,” John wrote.

“We’ve lobbied the NPCC which has raised this directly with Government. Despite positive responses, no formal decision has been made, and we now need immediate Government action. That’s why the Prime Minister must make a decision - does he support police officers being prioritised for the Covid vaccine or not?

“This is certainly not about jumping the queue in front of the most vulnerable members of society or those on the NHS frontline. It’s about ensuring policing is resilient enough to cope with the demands of the pandemic and that my colleagues can continue to support the public during these exceptional times.”

He explained that, due to the nature of their role, officers often could not avoid working in close contact with members of the public, creating a risk for them, their families and the public.

“Officers could be carrying the virus but non-symptomatic and therefore, by the nature of their role, risk being super-spreaders. We don’t want officers to inadvertently, and unknowingly, spread the infection as they go about their day to day duties because officers have no choice but to interact with the public when dealing with calls that come in and it is often with the most vulnerable people. This contact places the public at greater risk of infection, as well as being an organisational risk for the police service,” John continued.

“We know that the number of officers who are contracting the virus or are having to self-isolate is increasing, which creates a resilience issue for policing. There is a strong argument that police officers must be prioritised to receive this vaccine as this will not only protect them and their families but the general public too.”

Geoff Bardell, chair of Hertfordshire Police Federation, has welcomed the national chair’s stance and also urged the Government to act.

“Police officers have been on the frontline throughout the pandemic, risking their own health and that of their families as they have sought to maintain policing services. Of course, if they contract the virus, they also pose a risk to the very public they are seeking to protect,” says Geoff.

“While we obviously have no argument in terms of vulnerable people and frontline NHS workers being given top priority, I do think that the Government should put police officers higher in list setting out the order in which people will be given the vaccine.”