THE Greater Manchester Police Federation has slammed the government for not prioritising officers in being given a coronavirus vaccine.

The federation's health and safety lead Phil Thomasson says 1,335 officers and staff have tested positive for Covid-19 – 11.8 per cent of the workforce.

In the UK around 4.2m have had the virus, approximately 6.2 per cent of the population, with Greater Manchester Police's (GMP) rate nearly twice as much.

Labelling the vaccination programme as "shameful" and "flawed", Mr Thomasson said: “For clarity, police officers have no desire to jump the queue.

“We understand there are many people out there who would become very ill if they were to get infected.

"However, it must be noted that police officers cannot respond to incidents from the comfort of their own homes and the nature of our role is incompatible with social-distancing.

“We also have to be mindful of events in the near future that are going to pose increased risks, especially the reopening of society including the night time economy and the reintroduction of crowds at major sporting events."

Mr Thomasson also called for officers to be given vaccinations from supplies that would otherwise go to waste.

He also said he recently had a "productive meeting" with Bolton South East MP Yasmin Qureshi, who was "visibly shocked" with the information he shared.

The government's vaccine programme is being prioritised by age and clinical vulnerability rather than occupation.