A crime commissioner is calling for police officers to be prioritised for the coronavirus vaccine.

Dyfed-Powys police and crime commissioner Dafydd Llywelyn is calling for the Welsh Government to include police officers on the Covid-19 vaccination priority list so that they can be protected from the virus as a matter of urgency.

A petition calling for this to take place was recently set up by a father of a South Wales police officer who fell ill after arresting a man who was infected with the virus.

With over 6,000 signatures already on the petition, there is support from Unison, the NPCC and the Police Federation of England and Wales, and now Mr Llywelyn is calling on the Welsh Government to ensure that front line officers are vaccinated as a priority.

Mr Llywelyn said: “Like all other first responders and NHS staff, police officers and staff risk their lives every day to keep the public safe, and are at a higher risk of contracting and transmitting Covid-19 due to their increased level of exposure with the general public and lack of regular testing.

“We have a situation at the police headquarters in Llangunnor, Carmarthen where we are providing resources to support the Welsh Ambulance Service to facilitate the vaccination process of their staff who are based at HQ, which is fantastic.

"But I find it frustrating that while we are putting resources in place to carry out the vaccination process at HQ, it is still unclear, when the vaccination will become available to us to roll out to our officers.

“Police officers and staff are essential workers, they are in face to face contact with the general public on a daily basis, dealing with difficult and complex situations, and as a result it is essential that they are included on the priority list like other first responders.

“I’m now calling on the Welsh Government for some clarity on the roll-out schedule, and that police officers and staff are given the same priority as other emergency services so that the public are confident that they are safe when they come in to contact with the police.”

A Welsh Government spokesman said: "We are following the priority groups set out by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation and all people in the highest priority groups will be immunised as safely and as soon as possible."