Shock, fury and disbelief to reports prisoners to be vaccinated before police officers

POLICE officers have reacted with a mixture of shock, fury and disbelief to reports that prisoners will receive a vaccine against the deadly Covid-19 virus, ahead of those working in policing.

This could see a bizarre situation where a criminal who is jailed for coughing or spitting at a police officer – threatening to infect them with Covid-19 – will get a vaccine for the virus before the police officer they attacked.

According to the most recent Crown Prosecution Service data, assaults on emergency workers were ‘most common coronavirus-related crime’ between 1 April and 30 September 2020 with 1,688 offences charged.

Many of these involved police officers being coughed and spat on.

However according to a report in today’s Times newspaper, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has said teachers, police and other key workers should not get priority for Covid jabs.

But that prisoners can be vaccinated en masse.

Laura Heggie, Chair of Essex Police Federation, said: “This latest revelation beggars belief.

“So the Government in their wisdom are looking to protect those that have broken the law and have been locked up as a ‘punishment’ before the law abiding citizens who are out there earning their money, educating the children, struggling to keep their heads afloat financially, providing services in an attempt to rebuild our economy or the Police officers protecting their communities and upholding the Law who have put these people behind bars?

“The world has gone mad… again the Government has demonstrated the disdain it holds for police officers.”

Earlier in February, Health Secretary Matt Hancock told police officers they will have to wait their turn to receive the Covid-19 vaccine – and that they will not be prioritised.

Despite lobbying from the Police Federation, Chief Police Officers, the Met Commissioner and the College of Policing over police officers needing to have a level of priority for the vaccine to keep themselves, their families and the public safe, Mr Hancock said officers will not be prioritised until after groups 1-9, as deemed by the JCVI.

So, they will not be eligible for the vaccine until after the first 32 million people in the country have received it. And that is likely to be May. Officers who fall into the first 9 groups – via age or with underlying health conditions – will receive the vaccine that way.