COVID-19: Some police officers did not follow self-isolation rules due to “confusion” and staff fears | UK News

Some police departments did not follow self-isolation rules last year due to “confusion” and concerns over understaffing, according to a report.

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Gendarmerie and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) said some forces “did not appear to be following the national self-isolation requirement for testing, tracking and locating” .

The report blamed “confusion” over the rules and concern over “the potential negative effect of the loss of resources”.

“The forces have at times viewed self-isolation as unnecessary and possibly resulting in a relatively large number of employees being told to self-isolate within certain teams,” the inspection said.

“Some forces have therefore created their own systems to reduce the self-isolation of personnel without symptoms, contrary to national guidelines.

“We also heard about force policies in which senior officers performed risk assessments to avoid the need to self-isolate.

“This was after staff told them they had been instructed by the app or the national contact tracing service to self-isolate.

Again, this was against national guidelines and, in the case of an instruction from the NHS Contact Tracing Service, a criminal offense under the 2020 Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) Regulations ( self-isolation) (England). “

The report was based on an inspection carried out between March and November last year and it told police forces to “immediately” put policies in place to address the problem.

“The forces must follow the instructions and self-isolation instructions when staff members come into contact with a person showing symptoms of coronavirus,” he said.

Overall, police have been praised for their efforts to monitor the lockdown, especially in the face of “an extremely difficult situation of quick announcements” with the government changing the rules regularly.

Constable Inspector Matt Parr said, “Overall, the police have responded to the challenge with dedication and commitment, taking immediate action and …