Officers urged to use Track and Trace app

30 September 2020

Hertfordshire Police Federation chair Geoff Bardell says the contact-tracing app is an additional “weapon in our armoury” to help control the spread of coronavirus.

The Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) is encouraging officers to download the Track and Trace app on their personal phones and use it while working.

It approached the National Police Chiefs’ Council on behalf of members following confusion over guidelines from police chiefs advising officers not to download the app on work phones.

After discussions with NHS app developers and colleagues from the National Cyber Security Centre, PFEW is supporting the use of the app on personal mobile phones.

Geoff said: “Coronavirus hasn’t gone away, and we can see from the rising numbers of cases and the local lockdowns around the country that it still poses a significant threat.

“The Track and Trace app is an additional weapon in our armoury to help control the spread when used alongside other measures such as social distancing, personal protective equipment, hand hygiene and, if you have symptoms, self-isolating.”

National Federation chair John Apter said: “It’s, of course, a personal decision if officers now want to download the app. However, we would encourage and urge our 120,000 members to do so for their own safety.”

Find out more about the app.