Lockdown 3: Federation highlights why policing needs to be in vaccine queue

POLICE officers are being pulled ‘from pillar to post’ as they battle to contain crime and protect the public from COVID-19.

South Yorkshire Police Federation says policing across the country simply doesn’t have the resources to police the deadly pandemic the way the Government has promised it can.

Added to the mix is the worrying increase in assaults on frontline officers, making a tough job even tougher for those at the sharp end.

Officers don’t currently have a prioritised place in the vaccines queue either even though many are still being spat at and coughed on as they deal with the public every day.

“Last year we saw a 55% increase in officer assaults in South Yorkshire and every day I hear about cops being spat at,” South Yorkshire Police Federation Chair Steve Kent said.

“The police are at the frontline of this [the pandemic], and we seem to be almost the punch bag of society’s frustrations.

“I’m not saying everybody in society does that sort of thing. Of course they don’t. But what I’m concerned about is the realism here.

“We do not have anywhere near the resources, and I’m not just talking about South Yorkshire but in general, to police the virus the way that people or the Government are trying to make out that we can.”

Crime hasn’t stopped because of the lockdown, far from it – a rise in domestic abuse call-outs and the need to support their NHS colleagues means police resources are being stretched like never before.

“Criminals don’t give two tosses about whether there’s a lockdown on, and unfortunately one of our biggest areas, domestic violence, actually grows during lockdown periods,” Steve said.

“Our cops are pulled from pillar to post.

“This is something the public doesn’t realise but need to we always, and increasingly so, back up our NHS colleagues when it comes to incidents.

“When there are critical incidents involving health, it’s the police who go because the NHS is stretched – we just don’t have the resources to police this in the way people expect us to.”

The situation is not helped by the Government’s communications, Steve added.

“The Government comes out and says the police will start enforcing it. The police will do this. The police will be tougher’.

“And yet they’re not even going to vaccinate our officers who are frontline officers, who are going from house to house to house every day and essentially could be super-spreaders by the nature of the job.

“I’m absolutely appalled that the rhetoric has already started, saying, ‘oh well, the police will sort it out’.

“I would appeal to the public – who have largely been fantastic these past 10 months – to please work with us over coming weeks as we all strive together to keep people safe from this deadly virus.”