Public urged to follow new lockdown restrictions

2 November 2020

Members of the public need to do their bit to stop the spread of coronavirus and stick to the new lockdown restrictions set to be in place from Thursday this week, according to the secretary of Hertfordshire Police Federation.

Al Wollaston was speaking after Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed on Saturday that there would be a month-long lockdown.

“We need the public to play their part and abide by the new restrictions,” says Al, “Police officers will be out and about in their communities, engaging with the public, explaining the rules of the new lockdown and encouraging people to follow them but, if necessary, they will take enforcement action.

“This really is a situation where we are all in it together and we have to work together to try to halt the spread of the virus and help protect the NHS and each other.”

National Federation chair John Apter has criticised the Government for announcing the lockdown in a press conference arranged after a document was allegedly leaked to the media suggesting a month-long lockdown was imminent and said it was ‘deeply unhelpful’ and created a ‘media frenzy, concern and speculation’.

He explained: “What is important now is that there are no blurred lines or confusion around rules so that my colleagues can effectively police these restrictions. Policing is already under enough pressure. My colleagues have been doing their best to police restrictions which have changed on a regular basis and have often been confusing.

“It is clear that the virus has not gone away and is spreading at an alarming rate. We must be clear in what we are asking of the public and what we are expecting of the police. The information from Government must be clear and unambiguous. Anything less makes the policing of this pandemic even more challenging than it is already.”