Police welcome the clear direction provided by the announcement today that all Police constabulary staff, authorised officers and recruits will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
“This mandate is an important step for us. While staff have taken all precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, vaccination is an essential component of safety,” Police Commissioner Andrew Coster says.
“In today’s environment, the community has an expectation that our staff are protected from the virus and are fully vaccinated.
“Our work does not always allow us to stay at arm’s length from the people we deal with and vaccination is the only control that can mitigate the safety risk in those situations.”
At 92.2% one dose and 86.5% both doses, the vast majority of Police staff are already fully vaccinated. All staff affected by the mandate will be contacted over the next week about the implications of the Vaccination Order.
“It is not my desire to lose anyone from the organisation as a result of this new mandate and we will work with staff covered by the Vaccination Order to encourage them to get vaccinated,” Commissioner Coster says.
As a result of the Vaccination Order announced today all Police constabulary staff, authorised officers and recruits will need to receive their first vaccination by 17 January 2022 and their second vaccination by 1 March 2022.
In relation to staff that are already covered by the Health Order that mandated vaccination for people working in health and education settings, the vaccination dates for those staff have been brought in line with the Order announced today.
For Police staff not covered by the Vaccination Order or the Health Order, the Police Executive are currently considering the Covid Exposure Assessment Framework to assess whether this applies to those staff.
“I want to acknowledge all Police staff for the incredible work they have been doing to support New Zealand through the challenging times in which we find ourselves. These are unprecedented times and professionalism and commitment to delivering our response to COVID-19 is making a real difference,” Commissioner Coster says.
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre