Police Chief Tells Public to Inform Neighbors They Are Violating Coronavirus Lockdown Rules

Members of the public have a “ civic duty ” to report neighbors and businesses that violate coronavirus restrictions, a police chief said last night.

Merseyside Police Chief Andy Cooke condemned the “mocking culture” against people who tell police about violators.

It comes as figures show that more than 20,000 on-site tickets have been issued since March under emergency laws.

This aerial view shows the rave near the town of Banwen in August. South Wales police had been trying to disperse the delusion when some 3,000 people congregated in a former open-cast coal mine.

Merseyside Police Chief Andy Cooke condemned the ‘culture of contempt’ against people who tip off the police about rule breakers

Cooke said: ‘People are fulfilling a civic duty by contacting us for the right reasons.

‘The vast majority of people across the country are really concerned about this. Any information you can give us regarding the violations will save lives, and that is why people are doing it. ‘

While Martin Hewitt, president of the Council of Chiefs of the National Police, said that there would be a “faster application” of “flagrant” breaches of the rules.

For example, officers who are called to a large party in a private home or garden would give people the opportunity to leave, but fines would be imposed if they refused. The organizers “would be treated at all times,” he said.

He said the ‘flagrant infractions’ likely to attract fines include bars serving after 10 p.m.

Mr. Hewitt said: “With those kinds of egregious violations, which put everyone at risk, it is perfectly legitimate for a member of the public to share that information.”

Figures from the NPCC showed that police in England and Wales issued 20,223 fines for violating coronavirus restrictions between March 27 and October 19, two-thirds of which were for under-35s.

The total included 980 penalties in place for violating local lockdown laws.

Hewitt declined to speculate on how the police would handle family gatherings at Christmas and urged people not to start making plans for the holiday period.

He also urged people to make sure they understand the Covid rules in any part of the country where they spend the Christmas holidays.

“It’s not very sensible at this stage when we’re a couple of months away and we can all see how fast this is,” he said.

Hundreds of University of Exeter students attended outdoor parties until 2 a.m. on the weekend of September 19

“Wherever you are in the country at any time, but certainly also at Christmas, then I would recommend that everyone should understand precisely what the regulations are that relate to their parts of the country.

‘You need to really understand what the rules are at that time.

“After two months, it’s probably too early to start, I’d say, making big plans because you just don’t know what those regulations will be at the time.

“But I would encourage everyone to comply with the regulations because they are there to protect people.”

399 fines have been imposed for violating the ‘Rule of Six’, which has limited indoor or outdoor gatherings since September 14.

Another 66 fines have been issued for large gatherings such as raves and illegal parties, with a fine of £ 10,000.

The ravers were at the illegal party for more than a day near the town of Banwen. Around 70 officers, assisted by the Dyfed-Powys Police and the British Transport Police, were called into the woods to execute a dispersal order.

In total, 258 fixed penalties have been issued for not wearing a mask on public transport or in public buildings such as shops.

And 47 fines have been imposed on companies for not complying with rules like the curfew at 10 pm.

Police were unable to locate more than 1,000 people who should have isolated themselves after entering the UK from abroad, the figures showed.

The agents who called to carry out the controls found that 380 people had given the wrong address, so they could not be found, and another 629 were outside when the agents attended and, therefore, did not face any further police action.