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By Rory Cellan-Jones and Leo Kelion
Technology reporters
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Coronavirus pandemic
image copyrightGetty Images / NHS
Police officers in England and Wales should be informed that they can download the NHS Covid-19 app on their personal smartphones and use them at work.
The National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) issued the guide after conducting its own technical review of the software.
Individual officers and other police personnel will be informed Wednesday.
The NPCC had previously advised officers not to download the app on any device, while reviewing its impact.
And they will still be told not to install it on work phones.
These usually have their Bluetooth functionality disabled.
And the automated contact tracing process relies on wireless Bluetooth signals.
An NPCC spokesperson told BBC News that some staff members involved in covert and special operations, as well as other sensitive functions, would also be told to consider not installing the app on any phone until further instructions are issued.
“It is important that we have confidence that the NHS app will work for officers and staff consistently across the country,” he said.
“And it is for this reason that we have recommended that officers and staff download the app on their personal devices rather than on their work devices.”
NHS Covid-19 was released to the general public on Thursday, after several changes from a previous trial version.
Similar software releases in Scotland and Northern Ireland follow.
‘Key part’
The Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW), which represents some 120,000 officers, had asked the NPCC to change its policy.
He appreciated that the NPCC wanted to be cautious, he said, but the well-being of its members was “absolutely paramount.”
John Apter, who chairs the federation, said.
“Of course, it is a personal decision if the agents now want to download the application.
“However, we would encourage and urge [them] to do it “.
NHS Covid-19 records when the phones of two people approach each other.
If one is later confirmed to have the coronavirus, the other can be automatically told to isolate himself for two weeks.
The application is designed to keep the identities of both parties secret.
Other features include a means for users to record visits to restaurants and other entertainment venues, via a QR barcode scan, and then receive a notification if the location is later linked to an outbreak.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the app had been downloaded more than 12.4 million times as of 12:00 on Monday.
