Police warn on large gatherings

POLICE in London have issued an open letter urging people not to attend large gatherings over the last weekend before Christmas, amid fears of further antilockdown protests in the capital. Scotland Yard said extra officers will be on London’s streets to encourage compliance with strict Tier 3 Covid-19 regulations and to “swiftly clamp down on those wilfully and dangerously ignoring them”. An anti-lockdown demonstration is expected in Parliament Square on Saturday, with others planned around the country. The Metropolitan Police’s website asks people not to attend any large gathering and warns they may be at risk of committing a criminal offence if they do.

■ Meanwhile The chief constable of Greater Manchester Police has resigned after the force was placed in special measures over its failure to record more than 80,000 crimes in the space of a year. A report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) last week said it was “deeply troubled” by how cases handled by GMP were closed without proper investigation.

The watchdog also said the service from England’s second largest police force to victims of crime was a “serious cause of concern”.