Government accused of dereliction of duty over officer jabs

9 February 2021

The Government has been accused of a dereliction of duty by the Police Federation after admitting police officers will not be prioritised in the first phase of the Covid-19 vaccine roll-out programme.

The accusation forms part of an open letter signed by all 43 branches of the Police Federation of England and Wales and the national Federation chair in which they say police officers feel betrayed by a lack of action from the Governments of England and Wales to protect them from exposure to the virus.

Health secretary Matt Hancock in yesterday’s pandemic press briefing evening revealed that police officers would only be considered for prioritisation for the jab once groups one to nine as set out by the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) had been vaccinated. This would mean officers would be called for a vaccine according to their age group.

“It is rare for all Police Federation branches to issue an open letter of this kind,” says Pete Musgrave, chair of Humberside Police Federation, “But I think this just demonstrates how strongly we all feel about this issue. Police officers are on the frontline of the nation’s response to the pandemic, they can’t socially distance all the time due to the nature of their role and yet the Governments they serve seem to be reluctant to ensure they are given the protection they deserve in the form of this vaccination.

“This is not about police officers wanting to jump the queue. They understand and accept the need for the most vulnerable in society, the elderly, frontline NHS staff and care home workers to have the jab first. All they are asking for is to be given some kind of priority due to the unique nature of the job they do in their communities.

“Currently, they are putting their health at risk while on duty, fear taking it home to their families or passing it on as they go from job to job and have concerns about the operational resilience of their forces since officers and staff are contracting the virus or having to isolate because they have been in touch with someone with it.

“All of this is compounded, of course, by the mindless individuals who are spitting or coughing over officers while claiming to have Covid-19.”

Pete added: “We need the Governments in England and Wales to show that they truly appreciate officers’ role in the pandemic and the risks they are facing on a daily basis.”

The open letter, responding to Mr Hancock’s comments at last night’s press briefing, points out: “This is not only unacceptable to our members it is also a dereliction of both Governments’ duty. It shows that warm words and platitudes mean very little from Government.”

Guidance from the JCVI states that:

Frontline health and social care workers at high risk of acquiring infection, at high individual risk of developing serious disease, or at risk of transmitting infection to multiple vulnerable persons or other staff in a healthcare environment, are considered of higher priority for vaccination than those at lower risk.

The letter continues: “The risks presented to our members show that this guidance applies to them. The nature of policing means our members are not always able to mitigate the risk of contracting and spreading this deadly virus. They often have to get up close and personal in many situations, which means the risk is ever present.

“One in three officers have reported being threatened by somebody claiming to have Covid. The level of incidents of people weaponising the virus – by coughing or spitting at them – has increased considerably during the pandemic. On behalf of Government, police officers are putting their lives on the line every day and run a very real risk of becoming infected and exposing colleagues, family members as well the public. 

“This seriously threatens the resilience of the police service if officers are off sick or required to isolate, taking them away from their duties.

“This is not about police officers jumping the queue and never has been. It is about the duty of care that Government has to protect those who protect society. Thanks to the success and speed of the vaccination programme we know it would take less than a day to vaccinate the entire police service in England and Wales if the political will is there to do it.

“Police officers have done everything asked of them during this pandemic. Now it is time for Government to step up and protect those who have been on the frontline throughout this pandemic and continue to do so.”