Officers fined a car wash in Romford for breaching Covid-19 restrictions
People who attend unlicensed music events or illegal gatherings will be fined, rather than just the organisers of those events.
Anyone not wearing a mask without good reason, such as a health condition, will also be charged.
“After ten months of this pandemic the number of people who are genuinely not aware of the restrictions and the reasons they are in place is vanishingly small,” said Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist.
“We know the overwhelming majority of Londoners will do the right thing by staying at home, wearing masks and not gathering, but a small minority continue to ignore rules put in place to protect the NHS and save lives.”
Officers will also be asking people more questions about why they are outside and where they are going as there are fewer reasons for people to leave their homes.
They will also be working with local councils to ensure businesses and people using public spaces like parks are following the rules.
The warning comes following reports police broke up a house party in Dagenham on Monday, 4 January.
Officers also visited a car wash in Crow Lane, Romford, yesterday and issued fines for several breaches of the regulations.
Visit to Car Wash Business Premises in Crow Lane, Romford on 5 Jan resulted on police arrival, identification of a number of covid breaches. A Fine was issued for relevant breaches Our dedicated patrols attended a number of calls overnight, 4 E’s actioned. @LBofHavering
— Havering MPS. #HandsFaceSpace (@MPSHavering) January 6, 2021
“Our first duty as police officers is to preserve life,” added Mr Twist.
“The critical situation our NHS colleagues are facing and the way the new virus variant moves through communities, means we can no longer spend our time explaining or encouraging people to follow rules where they are wilfully and dangerously breaching.
“Less than a month ago we launched a new digital fines system which makes it quicker and easier for officers to issue fines on the spot. Since its launch more people have been reported for fines than in the rest of the year combined; this is also an indicator of a worsening position in the epidemic, and officers stepping in more quickly to try to keep communities safe.”
“I hope it is not necessary for this particular trend to carry on but if people continue to break the rules, putting themselves, their families and their communities at greater risk, our officers are ready to act robustly.
“This is why Londoners must take action now to stop this virus spreading further across our city. Action now by everyone will help reduce the time our Capital must live with these restrictions and crucially, will prevent more people from dying needlessly because of this virus. It’s up to us all to do the right thing.”
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Tags: east London, Dagenham, Coronavirus