Breaking up Christmas dinner ‘will not be a priority’, says senior police officer
Eight people having Christmas dinner together will not be a priority for the police on Christmas Day, according to a senior police officer, despite those in Tier 4 being told not to mix at Christmas.
Police Federation chair John Apter told Sky News there would not be extra police on shift during Christmas, and that the police had not yet received guidance from the government on how to handle the new Tier 4 rules.
Tier 4 lockdown came into place on Sunday morning across London and southeast England, after a new, more infectious strain of coronavirus caused a spike in cases.
The number of coronavirus cases jumped by the most since the start of the pandemic on Sunday, with 35,928 new instances of Covid recorded as of 9am.
Those living in Tier 4 have been warned to cancel Christmas plans and stay home for the holidays this year to help to stop the spread of coronavirus.
Despite that, breaking up Christmas dinners “will not be a priory” for the police, said Apter, pointing out the police would prioritise those breaking the rules on a larger scale.
Meanwhile Scottish police have issued a statement confirming there will not be road blocks or checkpoints on the Scottish border, though there will be additional police, which could deter those thinking about breaking the rules.
Chief constable Iain Livingstone said: “Following the announcement by the First Minister, there can be no doubt that, other than for the most essential journeys, people should not be travelling between Scotland and other parts of the UK.”