Hampshire police officers 'angry' after government vaccine snub

Health secretary Matt Hancock told a press conference yesterday that officers under 50 will not be vaccinated until after priority groups 1 to 9, which means they will have to wait for 32 million others to get the jab first.

Zoe Wakefield, chair of the Hampshire Police Federation, said she and colleagues were furious following the government’s vaccine snub after colleagues are being spat at, bitten and contracting the virus through their job.

Sergeant Wakefield said: ‘I am completely baffled and angry that the government are blatantly ignoring the need for police officers to be vaccinated in the next cohort.

‘Police officers are mixing with numerous people every day and are not able to socially distance in every situation. They are being spat at, bitten and contracting the virus through their job. Police officers have lost their lives due to Covid-19.

‘They need protecting so they can protect the public.’

Mr Hancock told the press conference that no decision had been made about the order after cohorts 1 to 9 had received their jab.

He said: ‘We have ensured, through the clinical advice that we’ve taken, that the vaccine rollout goes through those who are most at risk first. So any police officer who is aged over 50 will be part of the initial rollout through the current groups down to what I call the JCVI cohorts 1-9, from the Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations which advises us on the clinical basis for the order.

‘No decision has yet been made in what order we’ll go after the JCVI cohorts 1to 9 but we’re looking very closely, including at where police officers should be in that order.’

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Last month prime minister Boris Johnson said that police officers should be vaccinated ‘as soon as possible’ and home secretary Priti Patel told forces to ‘get ready’ for officers to receive the vaccine.

Hampshire Police Federation Secretary Garry Smith added: ‘Matt Hancock’s announcement last night was shocking and upsetting. Much noise has been heard around getting prepared for a roll-out of vaccine to officers and so this was a massive blow to hear during yesterday’s briefing.

‘Our members are angry that they are in the face of an invisible enemy, the first line of defence for the public and they stand between the virus and public safety, upholding and enforcing the law yet they have been shunned.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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