Scottish Police Federation calls for clamp down on vaccine queue-jumpers
It's as MFR understands people have been falsely registering as unpaid carers to skip the queue.
Last updated 12th Apr 2021
The Scottish Police Federation has called on the Scottish Government to make the vaccine online system tougher to prevent people from skipping the queue.
It's as MFR understands people have been registering falsely online as unpaid carers, in order to receive their vaccine sooner than they would normally be due to.
The Scottish Police Federation has previously called on the Scottish Government to include police officers in one of the priority groups - currently police still have to wait on their turn in line with their age group.
David Hamilton, chair of Scottish Police Federation, said: "Anyone could see that this was going to be a problem, apparently, other than the government, and that's really diappointing.
"When it's something so obvious when there's a premium - everyone of course wants the vaccine.
"It's pretty low when people are doing that - essentially they're cheating, they're cheating society.
"From my perspective representing police officers who the majority are still not vaccinated, it really is a kick in the teeth.
"I'd really urge the government to think again and try and get a grip of this because if we're in the situation where increasing numbers of people are trying to cheat the system, we need to get some control on it."
Chris Hand, lecturer in psychology, explained why there may be a sudden urge for people to be wanting the vaccine so quickly.
He said: "Some of it might be to do with fear of getting ill, some of it might be to do with the desire to do more social things sooner. And a lot of it will be pure selfishness, just good old-fashioned selfishness.
"Nobody likes to miss out, and given that there's a lot of uncertainty about whether vaccines will be needed to engage in certain activities or whether vaccine passports will be needed - these are big questions which still need to be answered."
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "As has been previously stated it is crucial that all unpaid carers providing face-to-face care are offered a vaccination so they are protected whilst they provide vital care for others.
"If a carer were to get unwell and have to self-isolate, it would have a huge impact on the person they were providing care for, and we have strived to have an inclusive approach on this to make sure that we make it easy for carers to come forward and be vaccinated, and many caring organisations support this approach.
"Those self-registering are asked about their caring responsibilities. Our priority is ensuring vaccination is accessible for this important group.
"Many unpaid carers will not have a document to prove their carer status. All four nations have provided a self certification route for unpaid carers who are not registered.
"While there is always some risk with self registration, it is really important that we make the process as easy as possible for carers to help protect themselves and those they care for."