Patrols to be stepped up in Staffordshire as coronavirus cases rise

Chief Constable Gareth Morgan said residents will see more officers on the streets in a statement given after the updated coronavirus restrictions and guidance announced by the Prime Minister on Tuesday.

He said: “I would like to give people in Staffordshire an update on how we intend to police and respond to the latest changes announced by the Prime Minister.

“As a police service we understand that the last few months have been extremely challenging and we recognise that the majority of people have played their part and followed the guidance to help prevent the infection spreading. In Staffordshire this has been done with minimum enforcement.

“However, due to the infection rate rising, and some people continuing to flout the rules, we now need to take further measures to keep people safe.

“This will mean you will see more police officers out in your areas as we step up patrols to ensure a high level of adherence to these new restrictions.

“As we have done throughout, we will continue to engage and explain the regulations but let me be clear, if people choose to ignore the rules and break the law, we will take stricter enforcement action.

“The penalty for failing to wear a mask or breaking the ‘rule of six’ will now double to £200 for a first offence. Fines can reach up to £10,000 for both businesses that breach regulations or those who organise illegal social gatherings.

“We recognise that policing cannot do this ourselves and we will be working closely with our partners to ensure that together we work with the community to secure a safe Staffordshire.

“We all need to continue to take personal responsibility to stop this virus spreading and I would ask you all to work with us to follow the new rules and reduce the spread of Covid-19.”