Winnipeg police chief declares state of emergency due to COVID-19 staff shortage
CBC
Staff shortages due to COVID-19 have led the Winnipeg Police Service to declare a state of emergency, Chief Danny Smyth said Wednesday.
There are currently 90 active COVID-19 cases within the police service, and 170 personnel are on COVID-19-related leave, Smyth said at an afternoon news conference. There are roughly 1,900 people in the police service, according to its latest annual report.
"Once we started getting above 10 per cent in sick leave, we really start paying close attention to our staffing at that point, particularly in our front-line staffing," he said.
The chief declared the state of emergency under the authority of the service's collective agreement, redeploying 80 officers to shore up the ranks of general patrol.
More officers from other units will be moved to other areas to backfill.
If staffing pressures continue to increase, Smyth said the service might consider switching from its current structure of three shifts per day to two.
"We still have a little ways to go for that. We're not in control of this timeline — the circumstances dictate that," he said.
The service isn't considering allowing officers with mild COVID-19 symptoms to come to work, as other sectors like health care have, Smyth said.
Between 97 and 98 per cent of all Winnipeg police officers are fully vaccinated, according to the city councillor who chairs the Winnipeg Police Board.
And despite the state of emergency, there has been no disruption to front-line police services, said Coun. Markus Chambers.
"There is a plan in place to ensure continuity of service and that service levels will not decrease," he said.
The City of Winnipeg introduced a vaccination mandate last fall for all of its staff who interact with the public. The mandate was expanded last month to include all city staff.
Those who are not fully vaccinated by next month will be subject to workplace requirements and restrictions.
Smyth said there are provisions in place to allow officers who have not declared their status to continue working.
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