One year on since lockdown: It's been a long and challenging year for police officers

23 March 2021

After a “long and challenging year” for police officers there is a light at the end of the tunnel, Kent Police Federation has said, though it is still disappointing they have not been prioritised for the vaccine.

As it comes up to a year since the first COVID lockdown, Kent Police Federation Chairman Neil Mennie said: “This has been a very long and challenging year for police officers. Aside from the business of ordinary policing, which is extremely challenging and busy by itself, officers then had the added dimension of the pandemic on top of that.

“This has meant they’ve had to completely change their working practices and they’ve had to adopt wearing PPE. It’s been quite a difficult time for them and their families, because they’re exposed to the risk of COVID-19 as they go about their daily duty.

“Also, officers have had to face a lot of short notice legislation which normally would be thoroughly tested and piloted, often with as little as 24 hours’ notice, and there has been a challenge in understanding the difference between the legislation and the guidance. They have had to adopt a style of policing to match the situation.

“They’ve been very, very busy, and in Kent we have also had to deal with the challenges presented by the exit from the European Union.

“We’re now approaching the end, hopefully, and there is light at the end of the tunnel that we can get back to a degree of having our social lives back, which is going to be really important for everyone’s wellbeing.”

Neil warned that there was still a danger that the public would stop following the rules as lockdown slowly started to ease: “As we now emerge from lockdown the danger is that people accelerate too much when we are still in a dangerous time. We just need to be patient. Our officers will of course be patient, but it’s an effort between us and the public to work together to emerge from this as safely as possible.”

He added that he thought police officers should have been given the vaccine earlier, saying: “It is disappointing that the police have not been prioritised for the vaccine given the nature of what we do. It would still be the best protection for both officers and the public if front line officers were offered the vaccine as they go about their duties.”