Police officers report catching coronavirus in the line of duty

NEARLY half of police officers responding to a Police Federation survey who have caught Covid-19 during the pandemic believe they contracted the virus on duty.

The Federation’s 2020 Demand, Capacity and Welfare Survey found that one in four officers believed they had contracted Covid-19 (26 per cent).

Almost half (45 per cent) of these respondents believed they contracted the virus through ‘work-related activities’.

And, over half of the officers to fill out the survey (55 per cent) had been the victim of an unarmed physical attack over the previous 12 months.

The survey also revealed how officers are risking their own wellbeing in the line of duty by working longer hours with limited access to rest and recuperation.

Andy Berry, chairman of Devon and Cornwall Police Federation, said he didn’t find it at all surprising that “very many” officers had contracted the virus – because of a lack of PPE at the beginning of the pandemic, but also the very nature of police work.

He said: “Firstly the roll out of sufficient PPE was slow at the start of the pandemic, thus unnecessarily exposing officers. But more significantly the role of the police officer can be very challenging to fully insulate from the Covid risk.

“Many elements of policing whether arresting, caring for victims or first aid, places officers up close and personal to members of the public creating an unavoidable risk of infection.

“This is why at the start of January I went public, including writing to South West MPs, asking that the vaccination of police officers should be prioritised.”

Devon and Cornwall Police Federation explained that the survey also showed that almost one in three officers (32%) reported a member of the public who was believed to carry the virus had purposely threatened to breathe or cough on them, while nearly a quarter (24 per cent) said someone had actually done so.

Andy added: “It is such a sad indictment that Covid-19 has been weaponised in a year where we saw 803 assaults on police officers between April and December.

“There is no doubt in my mind that those who choose to assault a police officer or other emergency worker should, in almost every case, expect to face a prison sentence.”