Police Chief Constables in the North West have written to the public as the country prepares to go into a second national lockdown at one minute past midnight tonight.
In the letter they say that:
“To the majority of our communities who have tried so hard to comply with restrictions, please carry on. We know how hard this is, but we need to maintain that shared purpose we had in the first lockdown to defeat the virus and, ultimately, save lives.”
However they add that:
“To the minority who feel the restrictions don’t apply to them be prepared to face the
consequences of greater levels of enforcement. We will collectively target those who flout the restrictions, particularly those organising large gatherings and music events, repeatedly holding parties or deliberately causing harm to our communities by not following the restrictions, such as self-isolating where necessary.”
They are seeking support from Government and the Judiciary to consider how to bring the people who think that they can ignore Fixed penalty notices to justice rapidly and reiterate that they will continue to use the 4E’s model of Engage, Explain, Encourage and only as a last resort Enforce, in relation to issuing Fixed Penalty Notices for breaching the
Coronavirus legislation.
