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“/>All police officers operating in Northern Ireland will receive bite and saliva protectors during the pandemic, the PSNI said: writes Michael McHugh, PA.
They have been used 70 times since March. Most of those affected have been part of local or neighborhood law enforcement teams.
The Oversight Board had recommended that it be discontinued at the end of this year.
Deputy Chief of Police Jonathan Roberts said: “After careful consideration, we have decided to provide all operational police officers with bite and saliva protections as a temporary measure during the pandemic.”
Most of the guards will be made up of local police teams, neighborhood police teams, the Road Police Unit of the Tactical Support Group, the District Support Team and the Specialized Operations Branch.
Anyone who receives them must complete the mandatory training online.
Officers must activate video on the body and each use must be notified to the Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman (PONI).
In March, the police chief decided to dispatch guards to response teams, custodial personnel, armed officers, and cell van crews.
Roberts added: “This has provided a high degree of reassurance to officers and staff.”
The officers and staff currently assigned to them comprise 11% of the total incidents reported during that period.
Mr. Roberts said: “An enhanced implementation that will begin on December 18 fulfills the duties of the police chief under health and safety legislation that requires him to provide safe work systems for all employees.
“We recognize that this is a sensitive issue and I want to assure the public that the human rights considerations of deploying a spit and bite guard are at the forefront of this decision.
“We also want to ensure that ‘the rights of the child’ under the legal framework of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) are mentioned in our current policy.
“As such, we have also amended our policy on the use of bite and saliva guards to strengthen the message about the use of the protector in children older than 10 years and vulnerable people.”
Most police services in England, Scotland and Wales have been using guards for some years.
The Oversight Board had recommended that its operational use be suspended as of December 31.
A spokesperson for the Board said: “The published report establishes in some detail the rationale and basis for the recommendation made, the importance of meeting duty of care responsibilities towards officers and staff with respect to providing a work environment Sure, the protection that this equipment actually meets along with the proportionality of its use on members of the public.
“The board members will want to discuss this decision with the police chief at the board meeting in December.”
Northern Ireland Police Federation President Mark Lindsay said they will provide officers with increased protection during the pandemic.
“The chief of police is to be congratulated for making this decision. Within the PSNI, you will be universally welcomed.
“NFP has consistently advocated the widespread introduction of spit and bite guards for all front-line officers who all too often have to deal with criminals who spit or bite them.
“I recognize that this decision may be criticized by some, but I would respond by saying that our men and women also have human rights and deserve to be protected when they are threatened and attacked.”
