Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
COPS: WE HAD NO JULY 4 WARNING Anger amid pub ‘carnage’ worries
Union blames class chaos on late lockdown
POLICE were given no advance warning that pubs are to reopen next Saturday, it is claimed.
A source at a leading union representing rank-and-file officers said the Government had failed to “engage” with forces, which are already stretched and under huge pressure.
There are fears the big “Independence Day” reopening on Saturday will lead to carnage as Brits rush to get drunk and flout social distancing.
The move by Boris Johnson, which comes as police have been battling to deal with BLM protests, street riots
PUBS and many other popular haunts reopen at long last on July 4 – but it won’t be business as usual.
As outlets of different types welcome back customers after what Boris Johnson called “the long hibernation”, they will have to take precautions that change everything.
We sent a team of staff out to get a glimpse of what to expect.
To see how hairdressers will operate, features writer Grace Macaskill visited Unique Salon in Cottingham, East Riding of Yorkshire.
There she found haircuts will now be by appointment only, with staggered arrival times. Stylists will dress in visors, gowns and gloves and chaotic packed beaches, has been attacked as a PR stunt. And a Police Federation source claimed Downing Street had given no warning of it.
The source said: “It seems ridiculous the Government hasn’t engaged with the very officers who will have to police pubs at a time when we are already facing huge other pressures.”
Federation chair John Apter has described the easing of the lockdown as a “countdown to party time” and begged Brits to behave. Police leave days have been cancelled for next weekend after cops faced violence as far apart as the south coast, London and Liverpool this week.
Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, also the city’s Police Crime Commissioner, said of the Saturday opening: “It’s reckless and disrespectful to police and emergency services. I was
Union chair John Apter not consulted and I’d be surprised if any other commissioners were either.” Mr Burnham pointed out that most European countries are opening bars on week nights, not Saturdays. Christina McAnea of Unison, representing ambulance staff, said: “Tough sacrifices have been made to save lives and this must not be squandered.” Last night Laura Cairns, whose mum Sue died of Covid-19 in April, accused the Government of making the reopening “like a big countdown to New Year’s Eve”.