Absences soaring as Covid KOs cops

DAY-TO-DAY policing could be “almost forgotten about” as soaring Covidrelated absence rates hit Police Scotland, it has been claimed.

A serving officer says the force may have to put more minor incidents on hold to focus on emergencies as nearly 3,000 Police Scotland employees are currently absent due to Omicron.

New figures reveal that 2,877 employees are off work – roughly 12% of the entire workforce – with 1,784 of those related to coronavirus.

At the moment, anyone with Covid-19 or a household contact with the virus has to isolate for 10 days, though consideration is being given to reducing the isolation period.

The officer believes Police Scotland will be forced to focus on fewer minor incidents and search warrants, to minimise contact with the public.

Police Scotland has insisted it is capable of moving staff around quickly to deal with absences and continue providing a “highly effective” service to the public.

The officer, who did not wish to be identified, said: “There are some shifts which are decimated and a lot of that is down to people isolating.

“Frontline police really have been hit hard. A lot of officers have caught it or been in close contact or told to isolate by track and trace, so absences are high, and with this variant it looks like that will continue or get worse.

“But I think a lot of the absences are more down to isolating than people actually having Covid.

“If staff levels get that bad, then they’ll start to prioritise. You would only go to urgent calls, so day-today things get pushed back and almost forgotten about.

“More is being done over the phone too in terms of reporting crime. That saves time for cops who don’t need to go out and stops them having to go inside people’s homes. But then that can be seen as the public not getting the service they deserve, people not getting to see officers face-to-face.

“I think calls will be taken for people reporting a crime and if it’s not serious or ongoing then someone will be told they’ll get a phone call back. But when that will be, who knows?”

The officer said things like drug warrants could be put on hold while Covid cases continue to rise.

“They won’t want to be bursting into people’s houses, that’s just a whole can of worms,” they said.

“During the start of the first lockdown in 2020 they stopped all warrants. You weren’t going to houses unless it was an emergency.”

David Hamilton, chairman of the Scottish Police Federation, called the absence figures “concerning”.

Mr Hamilton also feels that officers have been “let down” by the Scottish Government, having not been prioritised for vaccination.

He said: “It’s a significant amount of officers who are off, and support staff too, who we also have to rely on. So that is a concern to us, yes.”

Assistant Chief Constable Alan Speirs said the Omicron variant is having a “significant effect” on all parts of society, including the police. But he stressed there was sufficient capacity to protect the public.