Members of the public should abide by the lockdown rules and play their part in helping protect the NHS, says the chair of Staffordshire Police Federation.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the third lockdown in an address to the nation last night.
“This news was not unexpected particularly given the fact that the new strain of the virus appears to be spreading so rapidly,” says Phil Jones, “The NHS is under enormous pressure and I think we all have to play our part in trying to ease that over the coming weeks.
“We have to stay at home other than for the limited reasons set out by the Government. Police officers will be doing their bit to encourage the public to maintain the lockdown and enforcing the rules where they have to.”
John Apter, national chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, has also asked the public to play their part in keeping each other safe.
He explained: “With the new variant of the Covid-19 virus spreading so quickly it comes as no surprise that a new lockdown has been put in place. More people are contracting the virus and more are dying from it. Our hospitals are struggling to cope: these are tough times.
“It’s essential that people heed the new rules and stay at home unless absolutely necessary. Police officers will continue to do their best in these unprecedented times but I accept these next few months are going to be difficult on an emotional, psychological and practical level. However, we must all pull together.”
- The Federation is calling on the Government to prioritise police officers when rolling out the Covid-19 vaccines. It recognises the need for vulnerable people, frontline NHS staff and care home workers to be first in line for the jabs but feels police officers need to be prioritised too so that they are protected but also so that the police service can remain resilient.
