Policing the Government’s new ‘rule of six’ anti-COVID measures will be a tough ask for officers says Staffordshire Police Federation.
Limited resources mean they are already stretched dealing with business as usual call outs and crimes let alone having to monitor whether people are breaking the new restrictions.
Staffordshire Police Federation Chair Phil Jones says the Staffordshire public must carry on taking responsibility to follow the guidelines and to protect the NHS from being overwhelmed.
“It’s important to recognise since COVID-19 there has been unprecedented demand on the police and emergency services,” he said.
“In Staffordshire, we have 1,400 calls asking for our services every day through 999 and 101 contacts. We only have limited resources to deal with that demand, so with the additional rules and the need to police them, it will bring real difficulties for us.”
So far, Staffordshire Officers have largely been able to educate people about what they shouldn’t be doing under the social distancing rules and guidance rather than having to enforce them.
It’s something Phil hopes will continue to be the case.
“We are the third lowest force in the country when it comes to enforcing COVID-19,” he said.
“The direction to engage first came from the Chief Constable, and it’s been recognised that the public here in Staffordshire has been very sensible around the guidelines.
“We’ve chosen to engage and explain where we can and educate, which hasn’t been easy when advice has been confusing, but we’ve worked well with our communities.”
“Policing has had to adapt, take on board social distancing and wearing PPE; it’s been a challenging time for officers.
“But they have done a brilliant job safeguarding themselves and the public; we all have a duty to keep the NHS functioning and the public safe.”
