Rule-breakers face police crackdown
POLICE look set to ramp up enforcement of coronavirus lockdown rules despite confusion over key parts of the measures. Crime and policing minister Kit Malthouse said officers would be adopting a new “high-profile” approach to enforcing the rules that could include stopping members of the public to ask why they are not at home.
Britain’s most senior police officer, Dame Cressida Dick, also warned that officers in London will move swiftly to fine people who blatantly ignore the regulations. Their comments came amid confusion over the distance that members of the public are allowed to travel to exercise, with the Prime Minister sparking debate after going for a bike ride seven miles from Downing Street. Leaders of police groups called on the government to clarify the “incredibly vague” rules, which saw two women incorrectly fined for driving five miles from their Derbyshire homes to meet for a walk. Dame Cressida said that officers in London had issued more than 300 notices in the space of 24 hours for “flagrant” violations of the regulations. She told BBC Radio 4: “We will move more quickly to enforce
ment, and particularly where somebody is breaking the law, breaking the regulations, and if it is absolutely clear that they must have known, or do know that they are, then we will move very swiftly to enforcement and fining people.
As a string of supermarkets pledged to get tougher with customers who refuse to wear face coverings, Dame Cressida said her officers would be prepared to assist shop staff if customers became “obstructive and aggressive” when told they must wear a face covering.
Tesco, Waitrose, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons have all outlined a stricter approach to masks in their stores. Mr Malthouse said the Government was closely monitoring the numbers of Covid19 cases before deciding whether tougher measures were needed. Amid concern that activity levels were higher than during the first lockdown in April, he told Times Radio: “It’s certainly the case that the police are going to be very high profile.”
At the weekly meeting of the Cabinet – held by video conference call – Mr Johnson emphasised the importance of keeping to the rules while the vaccine was rolled out. The number of people in the UK to have been given a first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine as of yesterday is more than 2.4 million, up from almost 2.3 million on Monday. Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said ministers will consider whether key workers such as police, teachers and essential shop staff should be prioritised once the most vulnerable had received the jab. The Government also said that, as of 9am yesterday, there had been a further 45,533 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK. It brings the total number of cases in the UK to 3,118,518.
A further 1,243 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19, which brings the UK total to 81,960.