Covid rule breakers warned they risk extending lockdown
Lockdown measures could be extended unless Covid rule breakers start to stick to regulations, a police chief has warned.
West Midlands Police has dealt with nearly 100,000 people over breaching restrictions since the start of the pandemic, handing out almost 2,500 fines.
And a new report shows that officers are now moving on around 250 people each day after a surge in incidents since the turn of the year.
It says that the number of 'directions to leave' given in the past month – where people are fined, arrested or ordered to disperse – went up by 6,364, taking the total since last March to 36,737.
West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson said those who persisted in breaking the rules ran the risk of prolonging the lockdown.
He told a meeting of his strategic board: "There are still some people who are putting lives at risk and there's no choice but to take tough action against them.
"The overwhelming majority are following the rules very carefully, but there are a minority of people still holding house parties at venues that should not be open.
"At some of those venues there has been a totally unacceptable level of aggression towards the police, who are doing their job in implementing the law.
"We all want our lives to return to normal – I don't think anyone in the country wants anything other than that – and to see our friends and family again, but those people who are breaching the rules are making that even more difficult and are possibly prolonging the lockdown that we are currently encountering."
The report shows that officers have made 37 arrests for Covid breaches since March 2020, while 22 'super fines' of £10,000 have been given out, including five this year.
