Public urged to follow new lockdown restrictions

2 November 2020

West Midlands Police Federation chair Jon Nott is urging the public to adhere to the new national lockdown which is set to come into effect on Thursday (5 November).

Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed the month-long lockdown on Saturday.

“Police officers have been in the front-line of the response to the pandemic since March this year and, along with the public, have had to adapt to changing guidelines and restrictions along the way,” says Jon.

“They have done their best to work with the public to try to keep everyone safe and they will continue to do that. I would just ask that the public continue to follow the Government’s guidelines so that they can help reduce the spread of this virus.

“Police officers will remain committed to the Four Es – engage, explain, encourage and, as a last resort, enforce – and we appreciate that the majority of people understand that we are carrying out a difficult role in incredibly challenging times.”

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.”