PC Michael Warren, 37, passed away on Tuesday after it was confirmed he had contracted the Covid-19 earlier in the week
A father-of-two policeman has died after testing positive for Covid-19 – as colleagues pay tribute to the ‘kind, genuine and enthusiastic’ officer.
PC Michael Warren, 37, passed away on Tuesday after it was confirmed he had contracted the virus earlier in the week.
As he was classed as ‘vulnerable’, PC Warren had been shielding at home, but he had endeavoured to log on remotely to help his colleagues.
PC Warren is survived by his wife Vicky, his children Eden, eight, and Joseph, five, and both his parents.
He had been with the Metropolitan Police for more than 15 years, and was most recently attached to the Met’s Territorial Support Group.
The father-of-two is believed to be the first serving Met officer to have died after being diagnosed with the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic.
Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said earlier this week that three other colleagues, including a police community support officer, have also died.
Met Taskforce Chief Superintendent Karen Findlay, today paid tribute to PC Warren, describing the father-of-two as a ‘lovely, genuine and hard-working’ officer.
She said: ‘To lose his life at the young age of 37 is truly heart-breaking and my deepest thoughts and sympathies are with all who knew him, particularly his parents Pauline and Alan, his partner Vicky and their lovely children.
‘Mike was a devoted father and a good police officer. Across the Met and the TSG he was a friend to many of his colleagues.
‘He had a dry sense of humour and was often the heart and soul of a team in a TSG carrier.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick previously said she is ‘baffled’ that frontline officers are not closer to the front of the Covid-19 vaccine queue
The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan paid tribute to PC Warren on Friday, writing: ‘My heart goes out to the entire @MetPoliceUK family following the tragic loss of PC Michael Warren to Covid-19’
‘Outside of work, he was a passionate Spurs fan and dedicated his spare time to one of his life’s other passions, motorbikes.
‘Mike’s passion for policing and serving the communities of London was unwavering, even after he started shielding at home so he could focus on his health given the current risk of Covid-19.
‘He regularly went above and beyond to support his TSG colleagues virtually, doing anything he could to add value – our policing family has lost a kind, genuine and enthusiastic police officer.
‘He was very much motivated to return to frontline duties, and he regularly spoke about how he looked forwarded to putting his uniform back on and going out on patrol with his colleagues.
‘His death is a bitterly stark and upsetting reminder of the human impact of this virus, I know we will all miss him dearly.’
The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan also paid tribute to PC Warren on Friday, writing: ‘My heart goes out to the entire @MetPoliceUK family following the tragic loss of PC Michael Warren to Covid-19.
‘My deepest condolences to his family, friends and colleagues who continue to work tirelessly on the frontline. They are the very best of us and we are in their debt.’
It comes as Dame Cressida Dick said she is ‘baffled’ that frontline officers are not closer to the front of the queue to receive the Covid-19 vaccine.
Home Secretary Priti Patel promised the Government ‘will absolutely work’ to prioritise police in the vaccine rollout, but has not given a timescale for when officers could expect to receive their first dose.
Home Secretary Priti Patel promised the Government ‘will absolutely work’ to prioritise police in the vaccine rollout
PC Warren is survived by his partner Vicky, his children Eden, eight, and Joseph, five, and both his parents. Pictured: Stock image
When asked whether she wanted to see officers ‘bumped up the queue’, Ms Patel told BBC Radio 4 on Wednesday: ‘It is police, fire and other frontline workers, and the Health Secretary and myself are working to absolutely make that happen – I’ll be very clear about that.
‘This isn’t just something we are thinking about. There is a lot of work taking place in Government right now.’
Earlier this week, a Dorset Police officer who tested positive for coronavirus was hospitalised after working to disperse crowds at an anti-lockdown protest in Bournemouth.
Dorset Police Federation said the PC, 40, became unwell on Tuesday, adding he was being treated for a suspected blood clot on his lung.
Anna Harvey, chairwoman of Dorset Police Federation, said the hospitalisation was a ‘stark reminder of the extra risks our officers are facing on a daily basis’.
‘It saddens me to say that there is every chance this officer would not be in this position if police officers had been prioritised for the Covid-19 vaccine,’ she said.
‘Warm words about how brave police officers are from the Government are not enough. Police officers are being put at risk.’
She added: ‘What I want now from the Government is action. We hear from the Home Secretary today that the police service is being told to ‘get ready’ for the vaccine.
‘But when will officers actually get the vaccine so that no more of our colleagues end up in hospital?’