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?

Bleep We don’t have a lot of overweight officers, but yes we do have them. Obviously if it became such an issue that they were unable to do their role then it would need to be addressed.

I forgot to add to my post last night that yes we sadly have lost collegues to the virus. One chap at the very start of lockdown who was early 50s and fully operational until he came down with it and sadly died quickly. So incredibly sad he was so loved. Quite a few ex staff I know of also passed away during April.

We did have quite a few off, more people isolating with symptoms during March and April, it seems to have tailed off a bit now.

we have lots and lots of civilian staff who are shielding but most are working from home anyway.

In terms of officers, there are a few who are actually shielding and therefore not working out and about right now and are doing sort of 'desk duty' from home for 12 weeks. This is less common due to the police medical which you have to pass when you start, it's really in depth so the people off right now probably developed their conditions after starting work with the police.

However there are several new recruits who were coming into our force this month who have been placed on medical hold for a while because even though they passed the police medical they still got a shielding letter so we cannot therefore let them start the role. So this has affected our recruitment cohorts. Not massively though.

It's a struggle every day to continue working through this as really, HOW are we supposed to socially distance whilst doing our job?

All you see is pictures and videos of officers being slagged off for being to close together I really wish people would engage their brains.

We had two officers filmed and put on social media when they were in a local park just after restrictions had come in. Absolutely ripped apart online for walking in a two on a path just quietly patrolling.

The officers are actually married and happened to be on shift together that day! But even if they weren't wtf, we are damned either way.

If we are not present outside, we are not doing anything to enforce and people complain. Too much presence trying to keep crowds down? Should be busy solving burglaries. Not enough police out and about to be seen? Where are the police when you need them?

It's exhausting tbh. Good job it's the best job in the world and I massively give a shit about my community otherwise I'd be off to work in an ALDI warehouse quick time.

Even if the police feel they're putting members of the public in no danger by standing close to them, they should respect that member of the public's wish to follow the guidelines on social distancing.

They shouldn't be placing people in a position where they're simultaneously feeling stress of speaking to an official and feeling fear of catching a virus from them.

What @pest said

It’s being managed with staggered shifts, 2m distancing where possible, strict isolation policies and extremely good hygiene practices.

UK death figures suggest to me that it isn't being managed very well at all, frankly.

My partner is a Policeman. They have no ppe, there is none available to them. Social distancing is not possible either.

My partner was hospitalised with COVID. Luckily he has recovered well. At work the other day they had arrested someone and then had to drive her home, even though she had suspected COVID. No ppe for that either . I have no idea why no-one seems to give a shit about the Police.

User Are you talking about police officer deaths due to the virus?

DH is a copper and we bumped into a colleague yesterday whilst out exercising and they were laughing about this. We stood around 3m apart and had a quick chat and he then remarked that it was all well and good but tomorrow, they'll be in a car together, in an interview room, arresting/restraining people, offering emergency first aid, at debriefs, attending domestics etc and distance is impossible. Face masks would also be lost in the most minor of scuffles, get caught in ear pieces and on radios etc which are used constantly. They'd prove totally pointless.

They do wear gloves for everything though. If you're married to a copper, you find gloves in every pocket, every bag, every drawer. They get through hundreds of them.

They're meticulous about hygiene in other ways too. DH never brings uniform home, decontaminates at work and again before entering the house, showers before leaving home and again on arriving at work. Some officers have moved out of home to protect their families.

Most of dh's colleagues are healthy categories without underlying issues and largely, fit and active. They have had people off work but few serious cases.