New guidance on COVID-19 response

6 April 2020

West Midlands Police Federation chair Jon Nott has welcomed new guidance on how officers should apply the extra powers introduced by the Coronavirus Act 2020.
 
The College of Policing and National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) have published guidance for forces in England explaining what they can do to support healthcare professionals during the pandemic.

“Since the Government’s movement and travel restrictions were introduced over two weeks ago, forces around the country have been trying to do the right thing to satisfy the legislation but also treat the public in the right way too,” says Jon.

“The speed at which the restrictions were brought in led to some inevitable teething issues as a result. So, the new guidelines will give us all more clarity and enable us to operate with more consistency as we adapt to the situation.”

Jon added: “But if officers are being told to use ‘reasonable force’ to carry out new powers where necessary, it is vital that they are protected while they go about the business of trying to protect their communities and support health workers.”
 
The details of the new guidelines are as follows:

• Use of powers under this legislation will be public health led. The powers are to support public health officers in the testing and treatment of individuals where needed, to avoid further transmission of the COVID-19 virus
• Partnership arrangements with Public Health England and collaborative decision-making are key to enforcing these provisions
• A public health officer can direct or remove a person to a place suitable for screening and assessment. They can ask a constable to support this process if necessary. This should occur only in the most exceptional circumstances
• A constable must seek the advice of a public health official in judging whether they have reasonable grounds to suspect a person is potentially infectious unless this is impracticable. If an officer has reasonable grounds, they can remove a person to a place suitable for screening and assessment or keep the person at that place until a public health officer can assess them. Details of what constitutes reasonable grounds can be found in the full Coronavirus Act brief
• Police are able to use reasonable force to enforce these powers where necessary, however, in line with the Health Protection regulations guidance published last week to assist officers with policing the lockdown
• The “Four Es” approach should be taken - Engage, Explain, Encourage the public and only Enforce as a last resort.