COVID officers to start work

SLOUGH: A team of COVID-19 officers will be deployed in Slough to target hotspot areas and encourage people to comply with social restrictions.

Slough Borough Council has employed eight people who will start work on Monday and will be tasked with engaging with residents and getting large groups to disperse.

The team will be split up into groups of two and will roam the streets from 2pm to 11pm, seven days a week.

The council’s CCTV team will monitor the borough for COVID-related issues and help the new officers and police respond to any issues which arise.

Richard West, Slough Borough Council’s executive director of customer, said: “We know the vast majority of our residents are following the advice on how to stay safe and prevent the spread of COVID-19, but many are worried about the behaviour of some others and how it is affecting our town.

“People have probably heard the phrase ‘covid marshals’ in the news, and this will be Slough’s version, officers out and about and our eyes in the sky, keeping people safe, providing reassurance and targeting those who either don’t understand the regulations or don’t care about them.”