Police bosses lead call for officers to receive Covid-19 vaccine

Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner Martyn Underhill has coordinated a letter, co-signed by police and council leadership, making the request to the Chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) which advises health departments on immunisation.

The letter suggests that police officers and staff as well as frontline council workers such as teachers should be offered vaccinations in the same way that health and social workers have already been prioritised.

Martyn Underhill said: "Ideally, we would want to see both testing and vaccination programmes for police officers and other frontline staff, enabling us to ensure we are still able to provide a quality service to the public as the country struggles through the darkest days of the pandemic.

"We accept there may be limitations, but we are asking the JCVI to extend the current provision of key worker support beyond health and social care staff."