Policing Covid in Wales: 'Coughed at and spat on'

Police in Wales are counting the cost to their health and welfare as they tackle crime and enforce Covid rules in the pandemic, say rank and file officers.

Hundreds have caught Covid-19 while carrying out duties or had to self-isolate due to contact with the virus.

It has prompted one Welsh force to issue a plea to the public to stick to the regulations.

But a Police Federation leader says his officers "can't win".

"Front-line police officers in uniforms can't work from home, they can't ignore a 999 call when it comes in," said Mark Jones, who is general secretary for the Police Federation in north Wales, representing ordinary officers out on the beat.

"By virtue of what police do, you are getting up close and personal with people who don't really care about rules and regulations.

"If they've got coronavirus, they won't think twice - we've had incidents where our officers have been deliberately coughed on and spat at."

He said officers were being placed in a difficult situation every day, as they were asked to police "piecemeal rules" on Covid that change "on a daily basis".

"They are at times trying to enforce what are deeply unpopular rules," said Mr Jones.

"But it does have a purpose. If we can keep the public safe, then that reduces the burden on the NHS, which has been absolutely amazing all the way through this."

However, he said after nine months of restrictions people were "at the end of their tether".

"It is really, really hard, and it is taking its toll on some police officers now," he added.

"You are seeing stress levels in Welsh officers going up.

"They have to enforce these rules which are unpopular, keep everyone safe, but at the same time crime continues, car crashes still happen.

"The police's role in all of this is one they can't win."

Policing the Flintshire streets around Deeside during the pandemic has posed serious challenges for Sgt Rick Waites and his team of officers.

From dealing with tragic deaths, domestic violence, raves and being forced to self-isolate himself - the last nine months have been difficult.

"At the beginning it was all a bit surreal, wasn't it?" he said.

"We were trying to look after everybody's welfare and our own welfare."

During the first lockdown in Wales, the 39-year-old sergeant watched crimes such as burglaries and shoplifting plummet, with people staying home and stores forced to close.

But then they witnessed a rise in other offences, especially domestic violence incidents.

"With people living on top of each other in houses, those domestic incidents increased, with arguments and concerns surrounding families and children.

"That was quite a big thing for me. How do we deal with those domestics, and put safeguarding measures in place?"

But morale has been maintained and he added: "We muck together in the hard times, and the team gets closer, I think.

"I suppose were are all in this together."

Except, perhaps, when they are all forced apart by coronavirus.

"There is genuine fear for a lot of officers going out and about," said Sgt Waites.

"There's an expectation when you are out there dealing with the public you can still maintain social distancing, you can still wear your mask.

"But sometimes you have to roll around with these guys, you have to get right in the middle of things."

He has recently returned to duty after he and members of his team had to wrestle a man to the ground, who later tested positive for Covid-19.

"We were with him for hours. He was breathing all over us, blood and spit everywhere."

Sgt Waites and team members had to self-isolate for two weeks.

"It plays on people's minds. I came back to my family, I've got two young kids and my wife, and I went straight up and had to set-up camp in the spare room."

At the end of the day, the north Wales police sergeant said he and his team were simply trying to do their best to protect the public at one of the most difficult times the force has ever faced.

"We are the public and the public are the police," said Sgt Waites.

"We were all affected with our families, the same as everyone else is."

Concerns over Covid have been raised with the North Wales Police Chief Constable Carl Foulkes, who was quizzed by members of the region's police and crime panel earlier in the week.

The police chief told the panel this year had proved to be "really, really tricky" for the force, but he believed his officers and staff had "stepped up" to the challenges.

He said cases of Covid among officers remained relatively low.

However, a recent outbreak at the force headquarters in Colwyn Bay had meant the force had "lost a significant amount of officers" from work.

But he also told the panel his force was moving from explaining and encouraging the public to respect rules on Covid, to enforcement.

He said nearly 600 fixed penalty fines had been issued since the start of the pandemic across north Wales, including two £10,000 fines for raves and music events.

The chief constable said the majority of the fines had been issued to individuals travelling into Wales when travel restrictions were in force.

"People know what they should and shouldn't be doing, they know what are the right things to do," said Mr Foulkes.

Health Minister Vaughan Gething said there was "growing unhappiness and anger" towards people who were "flagrant rule breakers", but also said there was a "growing amount of scepticism towards lockdown", with the latest imposed from midnight.

He told BBC Radio Wales the Welsh Government had spoken to police and councils "because we do want to see more enforcement take place".

Concerns over flouting rules has prompted South Wales Police to issue an appeal, along with two councils.

South Wales Police said it had seen about 350 officers and staff forced to take sick leave or self-isolate due to Covid since the pandemic began.

A joint statement from the force and Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan councils warned: "A large number of police officers are also self-isolating after contracting the virus on shifts that regularly involve breaking up illegal gatherings.

"Now the bodies responsible for keeping people safe during the pandemic are appealing to the public to address the behaviours that have put Cardiff and the Vale on course for crisis."

Ch Supt Andy Valentine, who is leading the force response to Covid-19, added: "Community transmission and the numbers of confirmed cases continues to rise and it is imperative that we all act now.

"By doing the right thing, we can all help protect our front-line services - most importantly our NHS - and help save lives."

He said the force had a dedicated Covid command structure in place to ensure it can deliver policing priorities.

But he added: "I do appeal to everyone not to place further strain on our already stretched front-line services, by not playing their part to slow the spread."