For supermarkets and other shops who ask their customers to wear a face covering, will police provide assistance if a person refuses?
We expect retailers to manage entry to their stores and compliance with their own individual requirements while customers are inside. As such, police would only get involved if called to deal with a disturbance, such as someone not complying and using abusive and/or threatening behaviour.
Do offences relating to self-isolation include the NHS Test and Trace app?
No, this does not apply where notifications are received by the app.
The government have recommended that people wear a face covering in crowded and enclosed spaces where they come into contact with those they don’t normally meet – will police help encourage this?
This is no longer part of the regulations and is now guidance. As throughout the pandemic, government guidance is not legally enforceable by the police.
Are forces having an issue with absence rate due to the NHS Test and Trace app sending notifications to officers?
The current national absence level is 6.5%. This is well below any figure that would be a cause for concern and all forces remain in the green.
Will police still be wearing facemasks/PPE from July 19th?
Guidance to police officers and staff on the use of Covid PPE will remain beyond 19 July when the legal requirement is removed in England.
After consulting with staff unions and the Police Federation, the National Police Chiefs’ Council has written to all police forces to advise that the existing infection control measures used within policing should continue.
How will officers know if a person is fully vaccinated and doesn’t need to self-isolate after returning from an Amber or Red list country?
The government’s private security contractor will still receive referrals from DHSC, filtering out those who are fully vaccinated, and refer cases to the police where they believe a breach has occurred. This might mean a reduction in the number of referrals overall, and therefore for the police, but the process itself will not change.
Do you expect crime to increase now that lockdown has ended?
Although overall crime is marginally lower than this time in 2019, demand on the police remains significant. We expect it to increase over the coming months, given the end of lockdown.
We are ready to meet any increase in demand, at whatever pace it comes. As ever, we ask the public to stay vigilant, and to report any emergencies through 999.
What are the police’s priorities now that lockdown has ended?
Police’s efforts will shift more towards day-to-day policing, to prevent and tackle crime and keep communities safe. We believe this is what the public will want to see and expect from us. Please be reassured that all forces have robust plans in place to deal with any upturn in crime, including violence, and will clamp down on violent offenders.
For any further information, please visit Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance and support - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) or for local updates Coronavirus - Information and changes to services - Lancashire County Council