Protective gear rolled out to frontline officers

Specialist equipment will help police stay safe while on duty

Frontline police officers in local divisions across Scotland are expected to begin receiving equipment to protect them from Covid-19 next week.

More than 630 officers have already received personal protective equipment (PPE) including FFP3 masks, gloves, boot covers and goggles.

It is anticipated that an extended rollout of fitting, training and issuing of kit will be under way next week across all local policing divisions as well as within specialist services on a 24/7 basis.

Deputy Chief Constable Malcolm Graham said: “Our officers are playing a vital role in keeping people safe at this extraordinary time and we want them to have the right protective equipment to enable them to do their jobs with confidence. We have had several teams working continuously on procuring and distributing vital supplies to staff and these are being issued in priority areas.

“The procurement of available PPE is a key piece of work being undertaken in challenging circumstances due to exceptional levels of demand and we are streamlining and simplifying the process where possible.

“We are working with the Scottish Government and partners, and at a UK level, to ensure required PPE is delivered as quickly as possible.”

Officers across operational support units, border policing, custody and in some rural areas have already received the PPE. The flexible response unit is likely to be deployed across the country in possession of full kit to support operational officers at the weekend.