Met Federation wants parents fined if teenagers breach lockdown
Met Police Federation wants parents to be fined if teenage children breach coronavirus lockdown as forces seek wider powers to enforce government rules
- Head of Met Federation Ken Marsh wants to roll out fines for parents of teens
- He said London could become difficult to police in 3 or 4 days if virus surges
- The Home Office bolstered police powers on Thursday, allowing officers to dish out £60 on-the-spot fines and arrest repeat offenders
- Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
The Metropolitan Police Federation wants parents to be fined if their teenage children breach coronavirus lockdown as other forces seek stronger powers to enforce government rules.
Ken Marsh, the head of the Metropolitan Federation, which represents 30,000 officers in the capital, said police cannot currently enforce government advice for groups of teenagers who refused police instruction to go home and isolate.
‘We’ve got to take them home, but when we take them home, why can’t we fine their parents? Otherwise, what’s the deterrent?, Marsh said, according to the Observer.
A police officer talks to a cyclist at Regents Park in London yesterday as he enforces the national coronavirus lockdown
A police officer from North Yorkshire Police ensures that motorists comply with the Government’s lockdown restrictions yesterday
Metropolitan Police Federation Chairman Ken Marsh (pictured) said that parents should be fined if their teenagers are found outside during lockdown
If police numbers reduce due to officers becoming infected by COVID-19, Marsh thinks it will take three to four days before London becomes difficult to police.
Police powers were bolstered by the Home Office on Thursday, allowing officers to slap people with £60 on-the-spot fines if they’re caught outside of the home for non-essential reasons.
Isolation flouters can also be arrested and prosecuted for repeat offences, or knowingly spreading the coronavirus.
Forces across the country see this weekend as an opportunity to observe whether citizens will follow lockdown rules.
Marsh said that depending on the weather, this weekend ‘will be the acid test’.
A man wears a mask during a walk as Sussex Police patrol the promenade in Brighton during the coronavirus lockdown yesterday
Today, 260 people in the UK who tested positive with the coronavirus have died in a record 24-hour spike, bringing the total number of people who have died with Covid-19 to 1,019. Yesterday, 181 people with Covid-19 died
Home Office reveals new powers to tackle people flouting the coronavirus lockdown
- Up to two years in prison if you cough deliberately on someone after spate of attacks on emergency service workers;
- People who flout lockdown rules will be breaking the law and can be arrested as part of new enforcement powers;
- Officers can tell them to go home, leave or disperse an area and ensure parents are taking necessary steps to stop their children breaking the law. Those who refuse to comply could be issued with a fixed penalty notice of £60;
- Second-time offenders could be issued a fixed penalty notice of £120, doubling on each further repeat offence;
- Those who do not pay the penalty can be taken to court, with magistrates able to impose fines of £1,000 or more.
He added that the UK’s policing by consent causes additional difficulties, as police can’t threaten the public, relying on educating them of government advice to stay inside.
The advised safe distance of two metres could also present challenges in coming days, Marsh said, as officers are supposed to follow the guidance, making arrests difficult.
Marsh’s comments come as Britain’s coronavirus death toll rocketed by 260 to 1,019 today as the UK suffered its worst day yet and saw a huge spike in victims.
Boris Johnson is to warn the nation in a letter that tougher measures to ensure lockdown is adhered could be on their way.
Amid allegations of confusing messages on the lockdown, the leaflet will outline the Government’s rules on leaving the house and advice on shielding vulnerable people.
A clear explanation of the symptoms will also be included as will guidance on hand washing.
Panic has gripped the nation as it was revealed that today’s total number of deaths is 34 per cent higher than yesterday’s and today has seen the largest daily increase since March 18, when the total shot up from 71 to 104.
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