Nearly one in three police officers in England and Wales have been threatened with deliberate infection by someone who is believed to carry the CCP virus, survey results show.
A total of 28 percent of the respondents said they had performed pandemic-related duties, including tasks involving CCP virus-related deaths.
While just three percent of the officers had tested positive for the CCP virus, another 23 percent believed they had contracted the virus “based on strong personal suspicion or medical advice.”
Of all those who believed they had been infected, 45 percent were convinced that they had contracted the virus through work-related activities.
John Apter, national chair of the federation, said the survey “clearly shows the huge pressure officers are under policing the pandemic and the negative impact on their welfare.”
He urged the government to give officers “all the protection they need,” including being prioritised for the CCP virus vaccine.
Many of the assaults were committed against police officers, who were coughed at, spat on, kicked, bitten, or hit with heavy objects when trying to stop suspected breaches of CCP virus restrictions.
The UK has been under varying levels of CCP virus restrictions since the pandemic began last spring.