Police officers could become Covid superspreaders without vaccine Met Police warns

Around 600 Met Police officers are currently off sick or in isolation due to Covid-19

Police are currently not on the list of those to be given priority for the vaccine  (Getty Images)

The chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, Ken Marsh, has warned that police officers could become superspreaders if they aren’t vaccinated against coronavirus.

Mr Marsh said that it was “incredible” frontline police officers had not been given priority for the vaccine by the government.

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Marsh said: "We have the ability as police officers to become superspreaders because we're not just in the boroughs of London, 32 of them, we go out of the boroughs as well.

"I find it breathtaking that the government aren't for one minute thinking 'we need to vaccinate our frontline officers so they protect themselves and protect the public'."

A statement from the Metropolitan Police Federation said that while “frontline health and social care workers” are second in the government’s priority list for the vaccine, police officers do not feature at all.

The chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation said: “We have heard no mention of police officers being on the list to be vaccinated as soon as possible. There’s been no discussion whatsoever around my colleagues. It’s incredible, and sadly shows what they think of us.”

The most recently released data shows that around 600 police officers are either off sick with Covid-19 or need to isolate because of it. With rapidly increasing infection rates, there are fears that the police will not be able to provide their usual service to the public.

Mr Marsh was keen to point out that the coronavirus laws were a "toothless tiger" especially since the police currently have “no powers in place to enter or to gain entry” to homes.

This comes as Matt Hancock suggested that the police could step in to prevent those in tier 4 from moving around the country.

Chairman of the National Police Chiefs' Council, Martin Hewitt, has denied this. He said that although the police will “encourage the public to follow the rules,” there is no intention that they will “establish road blocks or routinely stop vehicles.”