Chair Lee Sims has given his reaction to England lockdown rules coming to end on Monday

16 July 2021

“Our Humberside Police colleagues have been working incredibly hard throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. There has been no working from home for the majority of police officers…”

Lee Sims, Chair of Humberside Police Federation, has given his reaction to England lockdown rules coming to end on Monday (19 July).

Nightclubs will be allowed to reopen for the first time since March 2020 and capacity limits will be removed for all venues and events.

There will no longer be any limits on how many people can meet and the 1m-plus distancing rule will be removed.

Lee said despite the national “unlocking” police officers will still be asked to wear masks in vehicles and one-way systems will remain in stations.

Lee said: “Cases are rising in the area - as a force we are still functioning as normal, but demand levels have been high.

“With the Euros just this past month, colleagues were already having their rest days cancelled. And now with the inevitable number of police officers having to isolate, it will create more demand for remaining officers.

“The force has sent out a strong message saying that even though lockdown has finished, some measures will be kept in place. We would support that.”

Lee paid tribute to police officers who have been working hard throughout the pandemic. He said: “Officers have been cracking on. Despite everything, it has been very much business as usual.

“Even when restrictions were eased at differing times over the past 18 months, our Humberside Police colleagues were still out there working really hard. There is no working from home for the majority of police officers.

“They are tired and some of them haven’t been able to take their annual leave. So I want to say thank you to them and congratulate them for their hard work.”

Emma Hardy, MP for Hull West and Hessle, also congratulated officers when Lee met her recently, he said. He added: “She said she was really impressed with Humberside Police and said that her constituents had commended them for their hard work. It makes you really proud to be a police officer.”

Speaking at the Press Conference in Downing Street earlier this week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged the public "don't tear the pants out of" the unlocking.

He added: "Don't be demob happy about this - this is not the end of Covid. It requires constant vigilance...you should not have a jubilee."