In a Welsh Parliament Debate yesterday on petitions concerning the Covid-19 vaccination programme submitted to the Senedd Petitions Committee, North Wales MS Mark Isherwood highlighted the petition to ‘Give Police Officers the Covid Vaccination as a priority’, which received 10,879 signatures, and criticised the Welsh Government for failing to ensure that they were given some priority.
Since January, Mr Isherwood has repeatedly called on the Welsh Government to heed the calls by North Wales Police Federation for Policing to ‘be considered for some priority on the COVID-19 vaccination programme’, and highlighted their concern that people in non-priority groups were ‘receiving the vaccine ahead of frontline Police Officers’.
Speaking in this afternoon’s debate, he challenged the Welsh Government over why this had been allowed to happen.
He said:
“As the Petition regarding Police Officers states, they “are in high risk jobs”.
“As the North Wales Police Federation stated: ‘day in, day out, police officers put their own safety, health and wellbeing at risk whilst protecting us all. Sadly, in North Wales, we have seen many colleagues who have become unwell with COVID-19, some requiring hospital treatment, and many more having to self-isolate’.
“When I raised this with the Health Minister, he dodged this by instead referring to the impact on priority groups.
“ North Wales Police Federation then told me they had been contacted by ‘very reliable sources working within the vaccination centres who advise that hospital secretaries and even social workers – who are working from home – are receiving the vaccine yet frontline policing is still not considered to be a risk nor even being allowed to use up any unused vaccines’, adding ‘Even if we could get frontline police officers on a standby list, like is happening in some parts of England’.
“Given that people not in priority groups were receiving the vaccine, why wouldn’t the Welsh Government admit it and instead prioritise on standby lists those whose employment means that they run the risk of coming into contact with people infected with COVID, when vaccines would otherwise go to waste?”
“Last week Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board stated that they had now “finalised an agreed standby list of staff who will be called upon if any vaccines become available at the end of the day”, including “North Wales Police staff following national advice and guidance”. As North Wales Police Federation then told me “It is still far from perfect but we are getting there… slowly!”