Sergeant says police should get jabs now
SERGEANT HAS LOST 20 DAYS OF WORK HAVING BEEN TWICE EXPOSED TO PEOPLE WITH COVID
A POLICE sergeant who has been directly exposed to Covid-19 twice in one month has blasted the Government for not vaccinating officers.
Sergeant Graham Summers, of Derbyshire Police, based in Swadlincote, is frustrated after having to take another 10 days off work because he was exposed to Covid.
He says the problem could easily be solved if police officers were among the first to be vaccinated.
Sgt Summers, who has spent 29 years in the police force, said he was first exposed to the virus earlier this year while returning from a police operation in Kent.
He completed a period of self-isolation and returned to work, only to be exposed again just two weeks later when he entered the home of a person who had been found dead in South Derbyshire.
A coroner later contacted the police officer to confirm the deceased had tested positive for Covid post-mortem.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said police officers should be considered by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) for the second phase of inoculations.
However, Sgt Summers says officers have to make physical contact with people every day and often enter their homes.
He said: “I have now had 20 days wiped out when I could have been at work. The Government made a list of all the frontline workers who were going to get the vaccine but why hadn’t the police been mentioned?
“The Government knows we go into people’s homes left, right and centre. We are not scared of going into these homes, but we are aware that the virus is around and that we could get it.
“The Home Office would not dream of sending a police officer to an angry person with a weapon without a stab vest, pepper spray, a baton, a taser, handcuffs and leg restraints (and in some cases a gun).
“So, the important question is why would you not inoculate those same officers against a virulent disease which has already killed thousands of people including police officers?
“After any horrific incident, politicians state how proud they are of our police service, who are expected to walk towards danger when most others are expected to retreat or shield from it. Knowing that many continue to die from Covid I have to ask, what is the difference?
“The very nature of the job means that cops are in and out of countless homes every day exposed to a heavily infected public (not forgetting that the reciprocal is also true and police officers themselves are potential transmitters).
“Frustratingly, I now find myself sent home along with two colleagues for the second time in a month after a confirmed direct Covid-19 exposure.
“I am not allowed to leave my house and I am waiting to see if I get poorly and potentially infect my wife and children.”
Sgt Summers has directed his frustrations at Home Secretary Priti Patel, saying: “Why is she not protecting us? I know our Chief Constable has voiced concern and has lobbied those above her.
“I have no problem with the PPE gear we are provided with and I accept how challenging it was to get it swiftly in place, but you have now had access to the vaccine for some time and yet we have not been put on the list of public sector workers worthy of that essential protection.
“I’ve been a police officer for 29 years and seen the organisation slowly evolve to deal with the dangers cops face daily and can categorically say that this is not one for debate or delay.”
His comments come after Derbyshire’s Chief Constable Rachel Swan and police crime commissioner Hardyal Dhindsa called on the Government to consider issuing frontline police officers and staff with the Covid-19 vaccination as a priority.
They have both written a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Home Secretary Priti Patel and Health Secretary Matt Hancock with the request to be considered.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “We are grateful for the tireless efforts of all our key workers, including police officers, at this difficult time. They are keeping us safe and ensuring that vital services carry on.
“We are following advice from the independent JCVI to vaccinate the most vulnerable people in cohorts 1-4 first.
“They advised the immediate priority should be to prevent deaths and protect health and care staff, with old age deemed the single biggest factor determining mortality.’
I am waiting to see if I get poorly and potentially infect my wife and children.
Sergeant Graham Summers