Police director of Covid planning and co-ordination Superintendent Russell Le Prou says police support Covid vaccination amongst staff. Photo / NZME
Police director of Covid planning and co-ordination Superintendent Russell Le Prou says police support Covid vaccination amongst staff. Photo / NZME
Eight Eastern District police constabulary staff and two casual staff have been stood down after their vaccination statuses weren't verified.
Staff who have been stood down as a result of the vaccination order will be consulted over the next three weeks to consider redeployment options, leave without pay options orany application for a medical exemption.
Police director of Covid planning and co-ordination Superintendent Russell Le Prou told Hawke's Bay Today that the order came into effect on January 17.
The order stated that all police constabulary staff, authorised officers and recruits would need to receive their first vaccination by January 17, 2022, and their second vaccination by March 1, 2022.
Le Prou said due to the small numbers of staff that were stood down, for privacy reasons police could not provide the positions and ranks of those staff, or break the location down further than Police District.
"As an organisation we support vaccination because it aligns with our goal that our people and communities are safe and feel safe.
"We will be consulting with the staff members who have been stood down over the next three weeks to consider redeployment options, leave without pay options or any application for a medical exemption.
Hawke's Bay Fire District manager Ken Cooper (centre) said unvaccinated firefighters were being "worked with" to work through the next steps. Photo NZME
"The action to stand down a small number of staff will not stop police delivering our essential services."
The current sworn Constabulary staff numbers for the Eastern District stands at 506.
Police Minister Poto Williams previously said there was already a very high vaccination rate in the police and it "made sense" operationally to make it a requirement for the constabulary, recruits and authorised officers who have regular contact with members of the public to be vaccinated.
"This is about keeping police safe and the community safe.
"About 92.2 per cent of all police staff have received at least one dose, and 86.5 per cent are now fully vaccinated.
"As they are often in contact with vulnerable communities, this is the best way that we can protect our Police staff and the public from Covid-19."
The order, which also covered Fire and Emergency NZ services, resulted in fewer than half a dozen firefighters in Hawke's Bay not being able to attend emergency incidents as a result of not being fully vaccinated.
FENZ Hawke's Bay Fire District manager Ken Cooper told Hawke's Bay Today the firefighters were being "worked with" to ascertain the next steps for them.
"We don't want to lose them, so we are working with them to see what we can do."
Cooper said around 13,500 firefighters across New Zealand were required to be fully vaccinated to do their roles under the Public Health Order, including around 11,500 volunteers.
In Hawke's Bay, there were 68 career firefighting staff and 829 volunteers as of January 2021.
The total number of unvaccinated firefighters in the region was not provided to protect individual privacy but Cooper said it was fewer than half a dozen.
