PFEW National Chair John Apter responds to announcement of month-long national lockdown which will come into effect from Thursday 5 November.

 

The national lockdown in England was confirmed by the Prime Minister this evening (31 October) in a press conference after a document was allegedly leaked to the media suggesting a month-long lockdown was imminent.

 

Reacting to the news, National Chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, John Apter, said, “The way in which this announcement has come about was deeply unhelpful, it created a media frenzy, concern and speculation. 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. 

 

“My colleagues will continue to work all hours around the clock to protect the public. None of us underestimate the impact of these new measures, but I urge the public to not give up now –  the majority of people have been with us all the way and must continue to do so in order to protect each other and reduce the spread of this virus", Mr Apter concluded.