DON’T SIT ON THAT PARK BENCH!
Priti’s backing for police as they target town centres and motorists
THE Home Secretary ordered police tackling Covid rule breakers to ‘act robustly’ yesterday as she backed officers who question people sitting on park benches.
Priti Patel also said police should stop cars if they think they have travelled out of their local area.
The new lockdown is our ‘normal way of life now’, and the public should get used to being questioned if they are out of their homes, she said.
It comes after tough talk from senior officers who vowed to take a stricter approach, handing out more fines to those flouting the third lockdown.
Hours after it was imposed, one zealous officer started distributing leaflets outside a Tesco supermarket in Maidenhead and asking drivers: ‘Why are you here?’
A councillor complained residents were being quizzed about legitimate shopping trips and Thames Valley Police later apologised, saying the officer was ‘a bit keen’.
Yesterday forces urged the public to contact police if they see crowds of youths hanging around town centres or hear of house parties.
Metropolitan Police Federation chairman Ken Marsh also raised the prospect that automatic number plate recognition cameras could be used in London to catch motorists breaking the lockdown.
Yesterday the Home Secretary announced almost 1,000 fines have been issued in the last two weeks over the Christmas period for ‘egregious’ breaches of Covid rules across the UK.
‘It’s right that police act robustly,’ she said. When asked whether officers would question people sitting on park benches during the lockdown, Miss Patel told BBC Radio 4’s Today: ‘Police have done that, let’s be very clear about this.
‘Throughout this coronavirus pandemic, during the last lockdown, the police have been asking individuals why are they out and about and should they be out and about, when the message right now is stay at home.’
In Nottinghamshire, officers promised to knock on doors if they hear house parties and suggested motorists in packed cars will also be stopped and quizzed.
Assistant chief constable Steve Cooper said: ‘We won’t be looking at road blocks but if we see a car full of young or old people (not from the same household or in support bubbles) – then we might stop them.’
The Home Secretary said all forces were right to question the occupants of vehicles.
She told LBC: ‘This is our normal way of life now. I absolutely believe in freedom and liberty, that is fundamental to our democracy.
‘However, these restrictions are in place for a reason, we are in a global pandemic and we’re seeing coronavirus rise. We want to save lives. People are dying.’
Metropolitan Police Federation chairman Mr Marsh said: ‘We are ramping up the work around vehicle movement. ANPR monitoring will be done in relation to persistent vehicle users. Officers will visit their homes to ask the nature of their journeys and, if needs be, those motorists will be fined.
‘Police patrols are being stepped up all over London and from tomorrow a taskforce, made up of all the relevant authorities, including the local councils and police, will be going out in force over the next two weeks to ensure non-essential businesses remain closed.’
Other forces urged the public to report offenders. Avon and Somerset Assistant Chief Constable Steve Cullen said: ‘We’d ask people who see signs of large gatherings forming, whether it be parties, protests or unauthorised music events, to contact us as early as possible.’
Merseyside Police issued a similar plea on Facebook.
One West Midlands Police officer was even stopped by his own colleagues on Wednesday. Inspector Lee Wiggan tweeted: ‘On my way to a meeting and got asked to explain my reason for being in town by Brum City Centre Police. Keep up the good work team.’
‘The message is stay at home’