Why are the police not wearing PPE or staying 2 m apart?

[pontypridd]

We saved a lost child today - out on our walk. The police came to help and none of them were wearing PPE. None of them kept even 1 m apart from each other, us or the lost child.

This is the 5/6th time we've personally encountered the police during this lockdown. Every time - there's a collection of them with no PPE. And they don't social distance from us, other members of public or from each other.

Why are the police not complaining about the lack of PPE and social distancing for themselves at work - as teachers and the NHS staff are?

Or do they know something that the rest of us don't?

[Nicknacky]

NC4Now What we are dealing with is people who are more exposed to the virus due to their lifestyle and don’t give a fuck about 2 metres apart.

Even many of the victims I deal with have been breaching government guidelines.

However, we just get in with it.

[VashtaNerada]

@GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat We’re in school now without PPE, that’s not the issue. It’s that at the moment we only have small numbers of children and we’re worried that if too many come back in one go it might be risky for them.
Sorry, don’t want to derail! We have enough threads about teachers. Back to police...

[illclapwheniminpressed]

Police aren't only outside. They have had more neighbour and DV calls with lockdown which means they are visiting people's home. They do not work with the same colleagues every shift.

I also witnessed a women with clear MH issues being restrained the other day and not one officer has a mask.

But the public are expected to wear them on buses?
Any honest police officer knows and would admit that simply waking around the police station or having briefing before work are not staying 2m apart!

[Nicknacky]

Of course we aren’t staying 2 metres apart in the office. It’s not practical.

[Faithtrusts]

Why are the police not complaining about the lack of PPE and social distancing for themselves at work - as teachers and the NHS staff are?

Cause they aren't allowed, police are not allowed to strike. Specific offence in the police of speaking out... something like disaffection of the police. If a police officer did a video crying about food like that nhs woman did they would be facing a gross misconduct disciplinary.

[Nicknacky]

We have got PPE. I got fitted for it last week and officers have been getting fitted for weeks. But there is no requirement for us to wear masks during the normal course of our duty.

[CoachBombay]

Nicknaky I hear you, me and you work with the same types of people I'm sure. We just get on with it.

To be honest I'm more concerned about uncapped needles and a needle stick injury than covid in my line of work. The odd one likes to spit at me 🤷🏻‍♀️

[generalh]

I am a teacher and I want to go back to work. I am not frightened to but it seems that if I say this I am not thinking of others' safety. However being in Wales the likely hood of me going back anytime soon is very slim.
I have bought myself hand sanitisers ready and masks - non medical- in case needed.

[Nicknacky]

coach Absolutely! Needle stick injuries worry me far more.

[Lifeisabeach09]

Of course we aren’t staying 2 metres apart in the office. It’s not practical.

Same in hospitals, care homes, schools. Social distancing is nigh impossible. Which is why the UK needs to adopt a mask wearing policy (unless extenuating circumstances) for these environments.

www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/COVID-19-use-face-masks-community.pdf

i get the sense the govt is pushing its herd immunity agenda via public services.

[Nicknacky]

I won’t be wearing a mask while in the office unless I’m forced to. And we won’t be.

[CoachBombay]

Nicknacky we did a refresher course recently and something like 60% of needle stick injuries from a heb B positive needle/person resulted in a cross infection. Absolutely petrified me for days! Glad I had my vaccination to be honest. HIV was lower though something like 15% which gave me some peace of mind.

My heart sinks when they are in my car and I ask "any sharps?" And they reply yes in my back pocket....I'm like great going to have to get my needle gloves out now and search my car.

[BananaPop2020]

@CoachBombay and @Nicknacky I too work with exactly the same people. There is generally a higher exposure to danger of all sorts due to the client group, so I am not any more worried about this than anything else. We have not been given any PPE at all. I am exercising common sense and like you guys, getting on with it.

[inwood]

The police in Hyde park today were cm not m apart and no PPE. Looks like a spike waiting to happen.

[Utterlydespairing]

It’s 2m WHERE possible. Ffs. Why are
People not clued up on this. I’ve been working throughout without PPE and no social distancing

[Nicknacky]

Coach That’s a shocking statistic. I can’t quite work out your job role though?

Hep b is my main concern.

banana What do you do for a living?

[Nicknacky]

inwood you do understand 2 metres isn’t always possible?

[BananaPop2020]

@Nicknacky I am a Probation Officer, my husband is a Police Insp.

[AppleKatie]

‘Teachers don’t understand’

That’s a new one to come at Teachers with I’ll give you that.

Although the arguments are getting weaker. Well known thickos those teachers afterall.

[Nicknacky]

Banana Thanks for that. I bet you and your H have heated discussions at times😂

[Derbygerbil]

I think you're missing the point that normal joe public don't generally need PPE the only reason you would need it is if you were going to be in contact with definite cases.

No! Covid-19 is often spread when infected people are asymptomatic... If people only needed to protect themselves from confirmed cases, we clearly wouldn’t need any social distancing, let alone a lockdown!

That said, the risk outside is much smaller. However, given that Police are potentially much more exposed to Covid than most other groups - and therefore be infected themselves - it would surely make sense for them to wear masks themselves to protect those they were interacting with. In fact, the more I think about it, the more appalled I am that Police are disregarding social distancing (as I realise they will need to on occasion) without any protective gear!

[CoachBombay]

I work with the homeless a very vunerable group of society in normal circumstances and especially so now.

[BananaPop2020]

@Nicknacky we do, yes, 😂, but we agree in the main. I have a firm belief in public protection and harm reduction and that forms the basis of my practice. It certainly resonates with him and his colleagues 😀😀

[MrsAmaro]

There are significantly more teachers and NHS staff than police - quick google says 123000ish police in the U.K., half a million teachers and over a million NHS staff. Most of the media reports of NHS staff deaths gloss over the actual source of infection with very little evidence they contracted it at work and the numbers are really not very high but it makes for a good sensational article. Some trusts have recently done a trial of testing asymptomatic staff and found about 3% were positive at the point of testing. The majority of working people are not at high risk from this disease due to the basic fact of being largely under 65, and I would imagine a high level of physical fitness in the police force. It’s also known that the majority of transmission is within groups living together whether that’s at home or in an institutional setting.

[Nicknacky]

Derby And I genuinely don’t know why there isn’t guidance that we have to wear it however it will have been considered.