This Is What’s It Like Being A Police Officer On The Frontline Right Now

‘I’ve had a couple of instances of abuse, no one likes being told what to do,’ says Eva*, 27, a police officer based in London. ‘But it’s not aimed at me, it’s aimed at the uniform. I get why people are frustrated, I’m frustrated myself.’

Eva joined the police force six years ago and typically spends her days in a squad car, responding to any incidents that come in over the radio. Since the spread of Covid-19 though, her days have changed dramatically.

‘I feel less like a police officer at the moment,’ she says. ‘I’m basically walking all day just explaining to people who aren’t social distancing why it’s so important to, the gravity of the situation and the sacrifice NHS staff are making.’

Working 10-hour shifts, Eva says she stops to rest every couple of hours but with 6.5kg worth of body armour on, no way to carry water and often walking in the baking sun all day, it makes for ‘very uncomfortable’ working conditions.

When she’s not walking in the heat, she’s in houses breaking up gatherings – something she says feels ‘very unnatural’ ‘It’s not something I’m used to,’ she says. ‘But normally when you approach, you can tell they know they shouldn’t be doing it because they start to pack up right away. So it’s just explaining to people the reason we’re doing this is to make sure people don’t die and protect the NHS.’

There has been some criticism of the police since lockdown rules had to be enforced because of the strong reaction of particular forces around the UK. Derbyshire police, for example, were publicly reprimanded by former supreme court justice, Lord Sumption, after they shamed people online for walking in the Peak District.

Talking to Eva, you can see the incredible bind police officers like her are in. Because, not only has her job changed massively, but she too is feeling frustrated by the lockdown rules we’re all subject too. ‘When we’re breaking up picnics and stuff in the park I’ve had a couple of people say to me, “I live in a flat and I don't have a garden”’ she says. ‘Well, I live in a flat and don’t have a garden too, I know it’s frustrating but it is temporary.’

Eva also has family who are NHS frontline staff, putting their lives at risk every day. All she’s trying to do is keep people safe while putting herself at risk. In fact, Eva says that while the police have been able to source some PPE for staff, ‘it’s not high quality’ and had to be rationed. She, along with five other members of her team, have been off sick with Covid-19 symptoms and says she ‘wouldn’t be surprised if the majority of the force had experienced mild cases of it.’

Yet, despite her sacrifice and good intentions, she is still met with hostility because, in her words, ‘no one likes to be told what to do’.

‘I always try and speak to people and have a conversation rather than just saying “get up and go”,’ she says. ‘But I have seen colleagues who maybe aren’t as communicative have issues with people who have been quite snappy with them. Our days are very long at the moment, and when you’ve been dealing with these instances all day I think your patience can start to wear thin.’

The vast majority of people are complaint though, Eva says, noting that the bigger problem she’s encountering is homelessness. ‘I spend a lot of time with rough sleepers and drug users,’ she says. ‘They’ve been given places to stay but a lot of the time unfortunately they’ve not been able to because of things they’ve done or it’s just not good for them. Trying to keep them safe and away from each other can be impossible, coronavirus is the least of their worries.’

She’s also worried about the crime she’s not able to answer while she’s performing her new duties. Particularly concerning is the rise in domestic violence – with the National Domestic Abuse hotline seeing a 25% increase in calls since lockdown began. ‘I worry about people that are trapped and are not able to call for help, it goes on quite a lot,’ she says. ‘I got into the police to help people but right now we’re dealing with this as opposed to crime really.’

Of course, Eva does still answer calls that come through from the control room. But, she says that ‘a lot of stuff won’t even reach’ officers because there’s just not enough of them to deal with all the incidents. ‘We try our best but it is keeping us away from helping victims at the moment,’ she explains.

*Name has been changed.

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