Federation Chair reminds officers they must wear PPE where appropriate as Covid-19 is still a risk

HAMPSHIRE Police Officers are being urged to wear face coverings and use PPE as they are still ‘at risk’ from COVID-19.

The PFEW says it’s essential to recognise the threat from the virus has not gone away and is urging officers not to do anything to put themselves and their families at risk by wearing masks and gloves wherever they can.

It’s especially important in situations where socially distancing is impossible.

It’s a view echoed by Hampshire Police Federation Chair Zoe Wakefield.

“We’ve been given guidance by the NPCC and through our own force on when we should and shouldn’t wear PPE,” she said.

“When we can’t maintain social distancing, we should be wearing PPE, and we’ve been sending out messages to all our officers reminding them of this.

It’s demand, not complacency, which means officers don’t always think about protecting themselves, however.

“I don’t think officers are becoming complacent,” Zoe said.

“I just think that they are so busy, they’ve got so much to think about all the time, and a lot of the time they’re dashing from one job to the next.

“They’re having to provide an immediate response, and they don’t always remember to put on the PPE. It’s not a normal thing yet.

“We’re not used to it, yet so sometimes they will forget, and we will maybe see two or three jobs being put on social media where people aren’t wearing PPE when they should.

“It’s certainly not deliberate.”