Covid-19: Infuriating officers still don’t know when they will be vaccinated

SOUTH Yorkshire Police Federation says it’s ‘infuriating’ officers still have no idea when they might be able to join the vaccination queue.

The Home Secretary recently suggested that police officers need to ‘get ready’ for the vital jabs, but as yet there’s been no confirmation of what priority group officers will be placed in by The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

Federation Chair Steve Kent says nobody is suggesting officers should jump the queue but that given they are frontline workers and having to deal with the public every day, it’s a ‘no brainer’ that they should get the injection as soon as possible.

Colleagues and members are starting to ask just when they will get the jab they need so they can do their jobs safely.

“It’s borderline infuriating because recently the sounds were coming out in the right direction, but we shouldn’t be at this stage, they should have already been rolled out for police officers,” he said.

“The NHS rightly have got the NHS vaccine as have care workers, but it grates on officers when we are going into people’s houses on a day to day basis and putting ourselves at risk in the same way social workers are and beyond that, and yet we’re still not officially in receipt of it.

“I’m getting contacted numerous times a day by officers who are concerned so I will continue to bang that drum as much as I possibly can.”

It’s now time for a little less conversation and more action from the Government, Steve said.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have a magic wand to make the Government change its mind.

“We are seeing movement which is a positive, but we need to see firm dates and firm comments coming out, not just aspirational statements which is what we’re getting at the minute.

“It’s not good enough. It’s an absolute no-brainer, and it should be happening right now.”