By Charlotte Webster-
Ken Marsh, (pictured)chairman of the Metropolitan Police Confederation has urged the British Government to place police officers on a priority list to receive coronavirus vaccines, saying requests to the Government so far were “falling on deaf ears”.
Mr. Marsh’s comments came as he revealed that Met Police staff are off sick or self isolating in high numbers. He said some 1,300 were off sick or self-isolating in the capital.
Many police stations in London are close to empty, and there are not enough to take crime reports.
Police officers have to deal with the public on a regular basis as part of their daily routine, exposing them to the virus more readily than the average person. News of colleagues falling ill because of the virus has led many others to take time off work.
Marsh’s comments came as Government guidance released on Monday night warned that police could take action if people leave home without a “reasonable excuse” permitted under new lockdown rules.
The British government want the police to issue out fixed penalty notices of £200 for a first offence, with this doubling for further offences up to a maximum of £6,400.
Individuals caught holding, an illegal gathering of more than 30 people risk a police-issued fine of £10,000.
When asked how lockdown enforcement would affect officers, Mr Marsh told the PA news agency: “It will obviously create a lot of pressure on us because we have a lot more officers off this time than we did back in March.
“Our numbers have rocketed in terms of officers with Covid and officers isolating and we envisage that getting worse.
“So the pressure is on my colleagues who are still out there to maintain the same level that they did before.”
Commenting on getting officers access to vaccines, he claimed: “It would appear that policing has been airbrushed out of any conversation in relation to protecting my colleagues, which I find quite incredible considering they are on the front line.
“They are the one group of people other than the National Health Service that actually have to go to work and have to be out there with the public, every day, 24 hours a day.