Officers Need Rest After Pandemic Pressures

SOUTH Yorkshire Police officers are being encouraged to take some well-earned rest after two years of pandemic disruption.

Changing demand, officer absence and COVID-19 uncertainty has left many officers unable to properly unwind, according to Federation Chair Steve Kent.

He said: “We haven’t seen people being able to take quality leave. We’ve been very clear for officers to continue to take their leave even if they’re sat at home watching the television or just putting their feet up, because it’s absolutely important that they get their rest away from the workplace, regardless of what they’re doing.

“But now I suppose there is a bit of a floodgate in that people want to go abroad or people want to go and have the proper beach holidays. It is going to take a little bit of a while before everybody gets that sort of relief. But at least now things are looking a lot more positive going forward.”

Steve said the past 24 months have been an ‘enormous challenge’ for officers who have been ‘working tirelessly’, despite receiving very little recognition for the efforts from the Government. This has had a detrimental effect on many officers’ mental health.

Steve said: “There’s been a lot of fatigue. There’s been a lot of officers, myself included, who’ve not been able to get holidays, and that is a huge burden to them. On the flip side, it’s been a privilege to be able to support our colleagues in the NHS throughout this crisis. We’ve often been vilified, when actually we really have been at the front line of this as much as anybody else. I think that’s taken a bit of a toll on officers.

“Our officers had been left in an impossible situation, coupled with erratic messaging from Government. Obviously the hypocrisy of what’s been happening and certain people having parties has had a massive impact.

“South Yorkshire Police, and I thank our senior command team for this, have always had a very pragmatic and common sense approach to enforcement of Covid, bringing the public with us rather than going against them. I think when it comes to dealing with the public that’s been appreciated.

“But there’s still been a rhetoric ramped up that we are doing things we’re not and we’re penalising normal people for making honest mistakes or misjudgements, when that’s been nothing further from the truth. I actually thing the police have done exceptionally well in policing this pandemic and balancing everything, like we always do.”