Covid vaccine: Police officers ‘must be on priority list’
Police officers should be given priority on the vaccination list, a North Wales Police Federation representative has said.
Insp Trystan Bevan said police officers needed protection as they dealt with Covid rule-breakers.
A Senedd petition calling for police officers to receive priority has been signed more than 10,850 times.
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) said it was vaccinating in line with the national priority list.
Insp Bevan, who is a North Wales Police Federation representative, said officers should be vaccinated not only for their own safety but that of the community.
It comes after the Welsh Government missed the target to vaccinate 70% of people over the age of 80 by last weekend, blaming the ice and snow.
“We as police officers need to be considered in relation to this vaccine. We need to be protected, same as everybody else,” said Insp Bevan.
“At the end of the day we are the people who are going to see people who are breaking these rules, we are the ones who enforce the laws.
“We also need some protection as well, not just for us – for our families, plus the community, because we are dealing with everybody in society in the community and we need to protect them as well.”
It is currently unknown if the vaccines have an effect on transmission.