Covid 19 coronavirus Delta outbreak: Police Association angry officers weren't higher priority for vaccinations

Police Association president Chris Cahill is angry officers haven't been prioritised higher in the vaccine roll out. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The decision not to vaccinate all police officers before the general public has left some in the force "downright angry".

A police spokesperson said 4000 police staff had received at least one dose, including staff working at the border and in MIQ where the vaccine is mandatory.

Police Association president Chris Cahill said there were around 10,500 sworn and 3000 non-sworn officers - and the figure of vaccinated workers wasn't high enough.

He told Newstalk ZB's Kerre McIvor that he was frustrated officers were put into cohort four with the general public despite the frontline roles they held.

Officers had since been moved to cohort group 2 - but that decision had been made too late, he said.

"Now we've got officers out there that are at risk, and their whānau, because of these woeful decisions."

Cahill told McIvor he had been trying to get officers pushed up in priority since May.

During level 4, officers continue attending call outs as normal, which were often family-harm related and required officers to moving from one home to another, which Cahill said could put them at risk of transmitting the virus.

Officers also did extra jobs during level 4 like attending lockdown breaches.

Cahill told McIvor he wanted vaccines distributed to frontline officers and their whānau immediately.

"We need to get it out there asap. The least they do is owe that to these police officers who have been ignored."

The police spokesperson said the remaining workforce who still needed to be vaccinated would get their jab in line with the Government's vaccine rollout.

Vaccine bookings through the police's health provider had gone well, with clinics scheduled in August and September, although all vaccinations were put on pause for 48 hours when the country moved to alert level 4.

"Our vaccination provider is working hard to make more clinics available to ensure minimal impact on the programme's rollout."

Cahill said the situation was a failure under the health and safety laws and the association was looking into what it could do legally.

"We'll be looking at what we can do legally around that and whether this breach of WorkSafe legislation. For not providing the appropriate protection for people they are now directing to go out and combat this."