Police / Police resources ‘significantly down’ as Covid isolation impacts staff numbers
COVID isolation has been affecting the local police force – with the team’s resources 65 per cent down compared to usual at one point last week.
This figure includes staff’s annual leave in addition to isolation requirements.
Shetland area commander Stuart Clemenson, however, said the police force always keeps a minimum baseline number of staff.
He told a meeting of Lerwick Community Council on Monday night that resources were “significantly down on what we would like to be”.
During these periods the police have to be more reactive than proactive, Clemenson said.
As it stands people who are fully vaccinated can leave isolation a week after a positive test, if their lateral flow is showing a negative.
Clemenson reiterated though that Shetland continues to have the highest crime detection rate across the Police Scotland network, at 87 per cent.
And the rate of acquisitive crime like housebreaking and shoplifting is “significantly lower” than other areas of the country.
Clemenson said the success of the detection rate is partly down to members of the public reporting crime.
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