The police are asked to violate Covid rules after just one verbal warning

Police were ordered to punish Covid rule violations after only one verbal warning in another reinforced enforcement of the lockdown.

Officials will move down the aisles billing people £ 200 if they believe a person is breaking the restrictions and they won't go home if asked.

It comes after footage of three police officers surrounding a woman for allegedly leaving her home more than once a day.

Another four officers appear to be arresting another woman for claiming to be sitting on a bench by the sea.

Meanwhile, Priti Patel defended the way the police have fined violations, stressing that "strong enforcement is needed".

Armed forces across England have urged people to stay home and not travel as they continue to violate Covid rules.

Several police officers released the news Saturday as doctors said coronavirus pressures on the NHS could get worse in the coming weeks.

The National Police Chiefs Council's new guidelines, released on Wednesday, said: "Officers should continue to involve members of the public and explain changes. If necessary, they should encourage compliance.

“However, if the individual or group does not respond appropriately, enforcement can be done without repeated attempts to encourage people to obey the law.

& # 39; We police with consent. The first police response should be to encourage voluntary compliance. "

The previous instruction, dated December 9th, was, “We monitor with consent. The first police response should be to encourage voluntary compliance. "

A Home Office source told the Telegraph Police that they would be "walking down the aisles" and warned, "We will see a faster enforcement move."

& # 39; Over 1,000 people died yesterday. It is important that everyone obey the rules. The rules have been around long enough.

"If there was a shooter who killed 1,000 people across the country yesterday and the government said, 'Stay home,' everyone would say, 'OK, I'll do that, I'm not going to have coffee with some friends and go round this Land around park & ​​# 39;. & # 39;

A spokesman for the National Police Chiefs Council said: "We have instructed officers since October to impose fines faster if people are clearly violating Covid's rules and not listening to encouragement.

& # 39; This approach continues into this dangerous phase of the pandemic. There is no specific rule for the number of warnings officers should give – officers continue to use their judgment. & # 39;

The new rules were shown in full on Saturday when a woman was surrounded by three police officers who claimed she had left her home more than once.

The woman, joined by an elderly man, bursts into tears as police interrogate her for allegedly violating the Bournemouth lockdown.

Another three officers appear to be arresting another woman for claiming she was sitting on a bench by the sea.

There are about ten soldiers on patrol who are apparently more pedestrians.

One officer told the first woman, “At the moment you are allowed to exercise once a day.

"You were filmed in the city center and here today, walking up and down."

Another officer shows her the rules she allegedly broke on a cell phone, but she interrupts when she hears the words "anti-social".

She asks: "Am I acting unsocially." The man with her asks: "What is anti-social?"

The officer, who was wearing a face covering, continues, but the woman starts crying and wipes her eyes.

She says: "How did I behave anti-social? I sat on a bench and drank a cup of coffee, that's not anti-social."

The policewoman says: "You are acting anti-social", to which the woman replies: "Well, you are provoking me."

They continue to argue and the woman refuses to give the officer her details when asked.

Meanwhile, the cameraman goes to another part of the promenade where a woman is tied up by four different officers.

The filmmaker asks, “What's going on, why are you putting your hands behind her back? What are you doing? & # 39;

The woman, who wears glasses and a long red coat, says, “I was sitting on a bench. I was sitting on a bench. & # 39;

The four officers handcuff her away while other pedestrians ask why they think it is necessary.

The footage ends when the second woman is led to a police car while the first continues to argue with the police.

The Dorset police have been asked for a comment.

The crackdown comes amid scientists calling for even tighter restrictions as No10 pushes an intimidating new advertising campaign to halt the rising number of coronavirus cases across the country.

Derbyshire Police were criticized Friday for pushing crackdown on the lockdown after officials attacked two friends for driving only seven miles to walk at a beauty spot.

As a result, the "intimidating" force is reviewing its Covid operations after gaining clarity on the rules. West Mercia police also ridiculed for threatening to fined £ 200 for playing in the snow.

Even so, the message from government sources yesterday was that the police should focus more on enforcing than explaining rules, now, almost 10 months after the first restrictions came into effect.

In Lincoln, police fined a Chesterfield man who had set a personal goal of trying to go to every football field in the country despite clear rules about staying at home.

The driver was stopped near the cathedral by officials on Friday after a system check revealed the vehicle was registered at an address outside of Lincolnshire.

When asked what he was doing, the police were confused by his reaction.

Sgt Mike Templeman wrote on Twitter: & # 39; The vehicle was stopped when it was registered in Chesterfield.

& # 39; The driver said he had a road trip to soccer fields across the country after leaving Chesterfield yesterday.

“You just couldn't make it up. Covid-19 parking tickets issued along with the strongest advice. & # 39;

Elsewhere, Norfolk Police announced that a couple had traveled 130 miles from their home in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire to Horsey on Thursday to visit a seal colony.

Local officials patrolling around 4 p.m. approached the couple in the beach parking lot after vehicle controls revealed the car was registered at an address outside of the county.

The man and woman, both in their fifties, admitted they had traveled to see the seals and both received a solid sentence, the troop said.

In London, officials also handed out fines to a gym owner who broke the lockdown rules, as well as the organizer of a party that was so loud that the music could be heard across the street.

And in Essex, police caught a group driving 15 miles to meet in a rural area.

The call for more enforcement has been reiterated earlier by Wiltshire Police Chief Kier Pritchard, who wrote in the Gazette and Herald: “Although we will continue to monitor the police with consent and in an appropriate manner, my officers will be much quicker to confront People who clearly break the rules ignore enforcement.

So far, the police force has focused on engagement, stepping up messaging in our communities, and encouraging the public to abide by it primarily and only return to enforcement when we are subjected to deliberate or repeated violations.

"We will continue to work with our communities, but my officials will quickly move on to enforcement against those who openly break the rules."

The change in approach comes when Boris Johnson asked families to stay home last night as the Covid-19 death toll hit a new record. The government launched a new campaign blitz to get people to abide by the lockdown rules.

UK Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty has appeared in advertisements urging us to stay home as the new variant of the virus has spread across the country.

Two terrifying new posters also show a patient dying in hospital and a health care worker wearing full PPE, warning the British, “If you go out, you can spread it. People will die. & # 39;

Susan Michie, a professor of health psychology at University College London who advises the SAGE committee of experts, said earlier Saturday that 90% of the national lockdown had been respected, but that busy roads and public transport were due to government orders.

She told BBC Radio Four's Today program, "One of the explanations for this is that this is a pretty lax ban because we still have a lot of household contact. People go in and out of other people's homes when they do are cleaner. " a non-essential trader or a nanny.

“We also have mass gatherings related to religious events and open kindergartens, and you have this broad definition of critical worker, so we currently have 30-50% of the classes full and use public transport to get to and from these things a lot.

& # 39; It's definitely too loose. If you compare yourself to March, it's winter season and the virus survives longer in the cold. Plus, people spend more time indoors. We now know that indoor aerosol transmission is a very large source of transmission for this virus.

Second, we have this new variant that is 50-70% more contagious. You put those two things together with the NHS in the crisis. We should have a stricter lockdown, not a less stringent lockdown that we had in March. & # 39;

However, Prof. Michie said that in order to get people to abide by the rules, a more positive approach must be taken rather than stricter enforcement.

"What we know from this pandemic is what really motivates people to know that there is a really serious threat, to know that what they are doing can make a difference, and to know what they are doing, to protect other people and their communities.

& # 39; SAGE's Behavioral Committee consistently says what we need is more support and empowerment for people to keep themselves up, not punishment. For example, an area where compliance is really poor and that has been continuous needs to be isolated at home for the next 10 days.

& # 39; Our own data shows that only 30% of people with symptoms stay at home. The reasons given are because they may have caring duties outside of the home, may need provisions, or, importantly, they may need to go to work for income.

“To be effective, you need to have people that people trust and identify with. Yes, experts and scholars are much more trusted than politicians, but we should also think of people from our own communities who are respected, especially young men who find compliance the most difficult, and think about who they identify with and with respect, and that is often sports personalities, singers, people from film and television.

"We should be a lot more creative and resourceful about the kind of people who speak up."

The owners of a London gym were also fined for violating the Covid-19 rules for staying open during the lockdown.

The Metropolitan Police said officials were called to the fitness center on Stean Street in Hackney on Friday to report a rule violation.

Officials found that the northeast London gym was open and three people were inside just before 9:30 a.m.

The owners have been issued a fixed £ 1,000 fine, the Met said.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan declared a "major incident" in the capital as the spread of the coronavirus threatens to "overwhelm" hospitals.

City Hall said the Covid-19 cases in London exceeded 1,000 per 100,000, while 35% more people are hospitalized with the virus than at the height of the pandemic in April.

Numbers released by NHS England on Friday showed the number of Covid patients in London hospitals stands at 7,277, a 32% increase from the previous week.

The Met's Chief Inspector Pete Shaw said, “While there are certain rules that allow people to exercise in public under this ban, nowhere in the law does it allow people to go to gyms to exercise.

“Those who break the rules, as in this case, should expect the necessary enforcement action to be taken against them.

"We are grateful that the vast majority of people continue to follow the guidelines and do their part to reduce the infection rate."

Elsewhere, Greater Manchester Police have asked people to report non-emergencies online as a number of communications workers are self-isolating.

Police said a number of staff from the operational communications department (OCB) who received 101 calls were forced to self-isolate for Covid-19 reasons, and staff from the transportation unit assisted the department with calls.

Deputy Police Commissioner Nick Bailey said, “All of our employees at OCB have worked extremely hard during this pandemic to keep the communities in Greater Manchester safe, and our technology has made it possible for many to work from home.

“However, some of our officials and employees are inevitably affected by the ongoing pandemic and may need to self-isolate to keep themselves, their colleagues and the public safe. We support you in this.

& # 39; We therefore had to redeploy some of our resources from the transport unit to temporarily support colleagues in OCB.

“Answering calls from members of the public is vital, and moving officials to the department can help us perform our normal service. For this reason, we continue to ask the public to report non-emergencies online whenever possible. & # 39;

Last night, West Mercia Police's Broseley and Much Wenlock tweeted: “There were two reports of snowballs being thrown between 11pm and 11:30 pm last night.

"This is obviously not a legitimate reason not to be home. This behavior is likely to result in a fixed £ 200 fine for violating the lockdown rules."

Meanwhile, Derbyshire Police fined British Airways beautician Jessica Allen and her flight attendant, Eliza Moore, £ 200 each for taking a socially distant walk on Foremark Reservoir which, although not their closest park is only 10 minutes from your home.

The decision to punish her will have "damaged" public perceptions of law enforcement, a former police chief said.

Mike Barton told BBC Breakfast yesterday that he believed Derbyshire police would "row back" in their decision to punish the couple who walked five miles from their home.

Former Durham Police Chief said: “Personally, I think Derbyshire will row back from this position but unfortunately some damage is being done here because, in order to comply with the law, the public has to think and see that the police are acting pretty. It's called procedural justice.

“If the police don't act fairly, the public won't comply.

“It's all very good that some people in Whitehall are rattling sabers and hitting the table that the police are going to enforce these rules, which is not being followed. The public sees fairness. & # 39;

Mr Barton said it was "no wonder" that some police forces were confused about how to enforce Covid-19 laws given the terminology used by the government.

He added, “What we have here is that the police have received hundreds of different rules over the past nine months.

“When I was a police officer, we had one law a year, maybe a couple, and then we had a training program on how to enforce it. This room was not given to the police.

"This is all based on the word" local "and I have never seen that in legislation.

"None of these problems have ever been described by law before, so it's no wonder there is some confusion out there."

The current lockdown guidance instructs the public to limit exercise – including running, cycling, swimming, and walking – to once per day. While people can leave their homes, they shouldn't travel outside their area.

Ms. Allen, 27, said she assumed "someone was murdered" when she saw a police van, a police car and several officers at the entrance to the open space.

"It was a short journey and only took about ten minutes," she said. I really thought someone had been murdered or a child had disappeared; The place is usually so quiet.

“Next, my car is surrounded. I got out of my car and thought, "There's no way they're coming to talk to us." They immediately start questioning us. One of them started reading my rights and I looked at my friend and thought, "This must be a joke."

I said we came in separate cars, even parked two spaces away, and even brought our own drinks. He said, "You can't do that because it's classified as a picnic."

"Moving to another county seems to have caused the problem, but the Derbyshire border is only a minute from my house."

Ms. Moore, 27 years old and while working for BA a makeup company, said she was "stunned at the time," did not challenge the police and gave her details so they could file a firm criminal complaint.

"Seeing just one policeman is pretty scary for some people, and we really didn't expect to be approached and to find out we'd done anything wrong," she said.

"We don't want to get away with breaking the rule, but it seems a little unfair that you can be punished for something so vague."

The two were also told that their cups of Starbucks mint tea they bought while driving through were not allowed because it was classified as a "picnic".

The guidelines for the current lockdown say that people can travel to exercise "while they are close", but do not specify how far people can travel.

Derbyshire Police insisted that the distance was "at the discretion" of each officer and that the trip was "not in accordance with the rules".

The force, previously criticized for its persistent approach to enforcing restrictions, released drone footage of dog walkers in the Peak District in March to "shame" them.

And in March, the troop threw black dye into a famous blue lagoon in Harpur Hill, near Buxton, to prevent Instagrammers from posing for snaps during the lockdown.

It comes as police forces stepped up enforcement of Covid regulations across the country.

In Aberdeen, two police officers knocked on a family's front door following complaints from a neighbor and stormed in when a woman shouted, "This is my house, get out of my house" and children screamed in the background.

Two women, aged 18 and 48, and a 43-year-old man were charged in connection with assaulting police officers and threatening and abusive behavior.

The footage immediately sparked controversy. Critics accused police of "suppressive" behavior of storming into a private home – while others argued they were just trying to enforce the Covid rules.

Officials were seen in Euston this morning stopping passengers to ask where they were going. Barrister Alex Wright tweeted, "Good to see Lockdown being taken seriously, but a sad sight that I would have dreamed of seeing in London."

Snowdonia National Park has now closed all of its parking spaces to visitors to "protect our communities and the NHS" as officials beat up the public for "disobeying" the law.

In an attempt to clarify the guidelines, Professor Ivan Browne, director of public health for Leicester City Council, urged residents yesterday to "visit your next park, not your most beautiful one," Leicester Live reported.

Ms. Patel said it was "right" for officers to confront Brits sitting on park benches, arguing that the police should stop people and know why they are outside their homes.

After her confrontation with the police at the reservoir, Jessica Allen said she was taking the pandemic "very seriously" as her brother is a doctor who works in a Covid ward in London and her parents both had coronavirus.

She said she drove to the reservoir knowing it would be less crowded than near her home. "I'm self-employed, but my business is closed and I'm trying to fill my time," she said.

“I suffer from fear and when you walk by the water you feel so much better. I live alone five days a week and the only thing I can look forward to is planning a walk with my boyfriend. & # 39;

She said dealing with the law was "very intimidating" and made her fearful of the police.

"I was so upset after that," she said. & # 39; The fact that they read my rights. I thought & # 39; am I going to jail for a walk? & # 39;

"I'm not a criminal, but we were treated like we were criminals and I really felt for the people who were wrongly arrested and questioned by the police because it wasn't a nice situation to be here."

Derbyshire Police said in a statement: “Driving to a location – where movement could easily have been brought closer to a person's home – is clearly not in line with national efforts to reduce our travel to the possible spread of the disease to decrease and decrease the number of deaths.

"Each officer will use professional judgment on a case-by-case basis. However, people should expect to be challenged and understand the clear reasons why they will be asked about their moves given the critical situation the NHS is currently in can."

"It is up to each civil servant to decide on a case-by-case basis what is appropriate as the law does not prohibit removal."

The College of Policing said: "Overall, police officers across England and Wales will use their own discretion and professionalism to assess whether someone has a reasonable excuse for traveling to exercise and being outside of the place where they live."

Local MP Andrew Bridgen tweeted, “I am concerned that my constituents will face fines from the Derbyshire police for training in what I would classify as a local area. It is important that common sense be used in enforcing guidelines, and a fine instead of issuing guidelines seems to be too zealous. & # 39;

It was a video that was taped in Aberdeen on Wednesday at 11:20 pm before it was shared online. It showed a police officer standing in the hallway of a house when a woman was being held back by another man.

She said: & # 39; My house. This is bullying. This is my house. Get out of my house. I didn't ask you here. & # 39;

A young boy can be seen in the video when the woman's daughter said, "Just stop it, Mom".

A police spokesman said: "We received a complaint from a member of the public about a coronavirus violation at a property in Aberdeen on Wednesday, January 6, 2021 at around 11:20 pm.

"Officials participated and two women (ages 18 and 48) and a 43-year-old man have been charged in connection with assaults on police officers and threatened and abusive behavior and are being reported to the Fiscal Prosecutor."

Just hours after Interior Secretary Priti Patel threw her support behind the crackdown, it emerged that officials in Birmingham were interviewing a couple with a stroller to ask what businesses they had in town.

In Ely, Cambridgeshire, disturbing images highlighting the harsh reality of Lockdown 3.0 showed that the seats in the city center were taped to prevent people from using them.

Snowdonia National Park decided to close its parking lots on Friday after the number of people violating Covid rules rose.

Officials said people could only participate in exercises that started and ended in their own home.

Nigel Harrison, Temporary Police Commissioner of North Wales, Constable, said, “We understand that people want to go outside to enjoy the mountains and snow. However, this is a national emergency and we will continue to work with our national park counterparts to ensure that the Welsh Government restrictions on essential travel are respected. & # 39;

The World Physiques Gym in Mansfield was searched by police on Monday. One person at the venue was fined £ 1,000 and another £ 200 for violating Covid's guidelines.

In Rochester, license officials forced the Hop and Rye pub to close after finding six people drinking during the second lockdown on November 28 last year.

Police discovered two maskless men getting out of a taxi in Crewe at 3 a.m. on Friday before going into a store and buying a case of beer.

When approached by Cheshire police officers, they said they were unaware of the lockdown and the way the coronavirus is spreading.

According to national lockdown rules, face masks must be worn in stores unless otherwise medically exempted.

A Cheshire police spokesman said: "The officers reported two men on Friday for violating lockdown rules.

Officers were patrolling Crewe at 3 a.m. when they spotted two men exiting a taxi with no face covering.

As they were leaving the store, officers approached the men to explain the lockdown rules while reiterating the importance of wearing face covers.

The men said they did not know there was a lockdown, nor did they know how their actions could lead to the transmission of the coronavirus to others.

"The officers informed the men that they would each receive a fixed criminal complaint (FPN) for their apparent violation of the coronavirus rules."

Exercise and important travel are the only reasons people are allowed to leave their homes.

In Crowborough, East Sussex, the local running track was closed yesterday due to the ban on sports facilities.

It came when a police officer was stopped by officers from his own force and asked where he was going during the coronavirus lockdown.

Insp Lee Wiggan was on his way to a meeting at his police headquarters on Wednesday when a police officer asked him to justify his movements. It comes when police said they would improve the approach to lockdown violations and fined £ 200 for anyone who goes out for no good reason.

Insp Wiggan, who covers the Ladywood East area of ​​Birmingham, was on his way to the meeting in downtown at the Lloyd House headquarters of the West Midlands Police.

It came when an angry pub owner posted a sign on the notice board of his meetinghouse telling villagers to run away after being reported to the police.

Keith Waterhouse, who owns Badger & # 39; s Holt in Bridgetown, Somerset, posted the note at Bridgetown Village Hall after police officers visited him after it was reported that he had violated Covid-19 rules the previous day .

The note read: “Whoever the bad, vengeful guy is who reports me to the police for a totally false breach of the Covid rules, has to speak to me first and find out the truth.

Meanwhile, in London on Friday, a man stopped outside Hammersmith tube station was asked to provide his name and address, which officials recorded and verified, and the reason for his trip. The man was allowed to enter the station and travel on, but refused to comment on whether he had been fined.

An official told MailOnline: "We are all over the region enforcing the laws of Covid and making sure people are not there for the right reasons. If you are not there or have no valid reason to be outside, you will be fined. & # 39;

However, the police officer announced that they had not imposed a single fine because most of the people followed the rules. say, "I think the message is getting through that you should only be outside for essential reasons."

In Birmingham on Friday, an exchange between two officers and a couple with a stroller walking downtown didn't end until the man pulled cash out of his pocket and told officers they were going to pay money at a bank.

The pedestrian, who did not want to be named, said, “I don't know why they chose us.

“They just asked why we were in the city center and when I explained the bank they left it at that. I think it's really just a matter of control. & # 39;

The same pair of police officers then interviewed two men languishing at a shop door and threatened one with a £ 250 fine if he did not leave.

Isaac, 33, who only gave his first name, said, “I have to go downtown to get my methadone from the Boots pharmacy.

“During the first lockdown, they gave us two weeks to prevent us from making so many trips, but this time they only give it for one day so we have to be back tomorrow.

"The officers were very fair because my friend is not really allowed to go downtown and could have received a £ 250 fine on the spot and not just a warning."

His friend Luke, 34, who also refused to give a surname, added, “Methadone is not something you want to pick up near you, so I'm coming downtown.

& # 39; These officers were fair. They told us not to hang out and make our way home.

"Another officer would have taken a much tougher approach."