Ds2 tested positive today I am furious

[HazelBite]

For the last 5 years Ds2 has been a Special Constable with the Met, Last weekend they went out in order to arrest a man who had broken his non molestation order (taken out by his ex-partner)
As they went to detain him he laughed and said "you shouldn't touch me I have covid"
Yes all three police who were in attendance have tested positive now, and he only gets a fine for breaking the non-mol order!
And

[Mousehole10]

@StatisticalSense this thread is not about teachers. Why mention them? I’m sure many teachers and people in general do not have that view.

[Kissthepastrychef]

@Oh12lookanothernamechange1234

It's not the same actually. If DPx has hepatitis there is a possibility that the officer he spits at might get it, but that officer isn't likely to pass it on to his section.
In my force we are seeing whole teams decimated through self isolation. PC Bloggs tests positive - and might take out 8 colleagues with him. When I tested positive 7 other people, including our two control room inspectors had to isolate. We are already thinly spread abd this is making it much worse. Minimum manning was common as it was, now minimum manning levels look like a fantasy.

[SmileyClare]

@Oh12lookanothernamechange1234

Police encounter things like this on a daily, if not hourly basis. Spat at and the person has Hep B/C, bitten, assaulted.

Covid is just another thing added into the equation now... it’s rubbish OP- but as police it’s what they have to deal with

I agree. "don't touch me, I have covid" is a line trotted out all the time by people resisting arrest. They have no idea if it's true.

I'm sorry your son and his colleagues have tested positive but it's impossible to pinpoint where he contracted the virus and directing your fury at an individual is futile.

[Livelovebehappy]

A little bit of over reaction. You’re going to spend a lot of your life being ‘furious’ on behalf of your dd. The majority of people she will come across are not going to be pleasant people. It comes with the territory I’m afraid. Still awful I know.

[Livelovebehappy]

Sorry, DS not dd.

[GrumblyMumblyisnotJumbly]

Sorry this has happened to your DS and colleagues as they did their job to Keep people safe.

Why do people feel the need to pit people against each other. Surely all staff in public-facing essential services (police, education, prisons - that may come into contact with large numbers of people who don’t wear masks) should come further up the list of priority for vaccines than the general public as we absolutely need those services to run. Obviously after vulnerable / over 70 categories most at risk of death from Covid but before the rollout to joe public.

[singsingbluesilver]

Sorry to derail the OP here, but as some poster on here persist in teacher bashing i can't let this pass.

Teachers are NOT demanding priority for the vaccine. SOME parents are demanding teachers are vaccinated - not because they care about teachers, but because they think it means schools will open fully more quickly. They won't, because vaccinating teachers will not stop the virus spreading in schools - kids will catch it from each other. This is why schools are hubs of transmission.

It would be really nice if just for one day i could come on MN and see no negative posts about teachers.

Sorry OP for what you and your family are gong through.

[Oh12lookanothernamechange1234]

@Kissthepastrychef but social distancing in offices really should stop the need for so so many people to self isolate.

[catsmother]

My oldest child is a police officer. As of last week they estimated they were running at about 58% of usual capacity due to sickness. Obviously not all of that's down to COVID. However, in normal times officers off sick (ill, injured) would usually be around 15% so it's pretty damn obvious COVID is having a significant impact be it those with positive tests or those who need to isolate.

Given the frustration, danger and demoralising effect of not being able to police in the way they'd wish to at the best of times due to the severe impact of cuts over the last decade, you can imagine how front line officers feel now. And that'll invariably lead to more officers having to take time off for mental health issues.

So yes, of course front line police should be one of the priority groups for vaccination. The nature of their job often means it's impossible and/or dangerous to socially distance. As is the case for teachers and others whose jobs can't be carried out efficiently at arms length.

[Cherrysoup]

Why furious? My dh arrested someone positive then his colleague he’d been in the car with all well did too. He’s had to self,isolate, fortunately seems ok. It’s what happens to frontline workers.

[Mmn654123]

Being furious seems a pointless over-reaction.

I once caught a dreadful infection from a patient who kept removing the dressing from an infected wound and wafting bacterial around the room so it endlessly needed to be re-dressed. At some point I breathed it in and it ended up in my blood and joints. Didn't occur to me to be 'furious' with the patient. And while my family was aware I was unwell I don't think it would have occurred to my mum to be furious that someone, somewhere didn't stop the nasty patient wafting their germs about and thus making me ill. It's a risk of the job I chose to do - just as catching nasty germs from nasty people is a risk of the job in policing, because police have to get up close and personal with people.

If this is an unacceptable risk in your sons' eyes, policing might not be right for him. But moaning to his mum because he encountered a criminal with covid is a bit much.

[BananaPop2020]

Maybe I have misread the post, but why is everyone assuming this man was out and in breach of Covid regs? He could have breached the Non-Mol via text or social media. As for the Covid thing, my husband is frontline Police and he brought it home over Christmas. Hope your son gets well soon.

[userxx]

Not sure I understand your fury to be honest. Your son deals with members of the public so his chances of catching covid are surely higher just like teachers, supermarket workers etc.

[littlepieces]

Wishing him all the best and a speedy recovery.

Also in response to other comments, £1000 fines are all very well if the person being fined actually has the money... otherwise it's a futile deterrent.

[GML107]

So as your son went to arrest someone, this person made him aware he had Covid yet your son didn't have adequate PPE, didn't withdraw and ask for adequate PPE to be sent etc and now he's caught Covid

Why on earth are you annoyed at the man who was arrested? He did the right thing and made your son aware of the danger he was in.

I'd be annoyed at the police for providing adequate protection for your son.

I'd be annoyed at your son' foolish behaviour - why on earth is he still volunteering in a life-threatening position when he's aware of the dangers and his employer isn't providing him with the adequate support he needs. Does your son have no self-respect?

[wildraisins]

Police officers should be prioritised for the vaccine (if they're not already - I don't know?)

[canigooutyet]

Of course there are some that claim to be teachers that want them prioritised for the vaccination. There's at least one other thread today about this. There have been petitions posted on here.

So criminal informs them he has a highly contagious disease, and police carried on as normal with no extra precautions. Why? Don't police have access to PPE?

I hope they recover quick. It's a bitch of an illness.

[MacDuffsMuff]

@StatisticalSense Do you always talk such shit? I can't find ONE piece of evidence, one article, one Tweet etc that say that teachers think they should be prioritised over the Police. Not one. So you're just making stuff up to suit yourself.

OP I'm sorry for your DS, the Police should be right up there with hospital frontline staff when it comes to the vaccine.

[Kissthepastrychef]

@Kissthepastrychef but social distancing in offices really should stop the need for so so many people to self isolate.
You can't socially distance a violent domestic

[Kissthepastrychef]

@GML107

Plenty of scenarios answer your questions

1. Male was violent and withdrawing until suitable PPE was available may not be an option.
   
2. Nearest unit with PPE may have been a long way away. My force is rural and if a unit is in the sticks they may be 20 minutes away from the nearest back up - on blues. Ppe would be blue lighted so you'd still be stuck with the person until it arrived
   
3. Every other person at the moment is saying they have Covid hoping it means they won't get nicked - or just for a laugh
   

Lots of officers are in the same position up and down the country every day. How exceptionally rude of you to suggest her son has no self respect. I hope you don't have to use the police with such a disdainful attitude.

[Kissthepastrychef]

Ppe wouldn't be bluelighted even

[thedancingbear]

This is your son's choice. It seems like a stupid decision to try to detain him in the circumstances.

If he wants to volunteer, there are various other positions available.

[thedancingbear]

@wildraisins

Police officers should be prioritised for the vaccine (if they're not already - I don't know?)

Why? Most of them are fit and healthy, and are very unlikely to die of covid. Which elderly/CEV people would you take the vaccine from to treat coppers instead?