West Midlands Chief Constable back at work after contracting Covid-19

Sir David Thompson, who heads the second largest police force in England after the Met, described it as a “mild” case.

In a statement on Twitter, Sir David said: “It is great to be back at work today after being at home with Covid.

“Fortunate to have a mild dose.

“Very important we continue to take action to minimise the spread of this virus.”

Sir David had been working remotely and had dialled in to the force’s monthly strategic policing and crime board meeting, last week, answering questions on various topics.

At that meeting, senior officers and civilian board members heard the force had a combined sickness and self-isolation rate of “more than 10%” of its total officer and police staff complement, heading into the end of January – up from 6% at the start of the month.

Sir David’s announcement came only days after the region’s police and crime commissioner David Jamieson wrote a joint letter with the chief constable and the Police Federation calling on the Government to prioritise the police when it decides who to give the vaccine to next.

Mr Jamieson said: “It’s vital the Government recognises the important work being done by officers on our streets and ensures they are moved as high up the Covid vaccine priority list as possible.”