POLICE won’t stop you travelling over Christmas and there’s “no way” they’ll knock on doors, a top cop has warned today – despite Matt Hancock’s plea they enforce the new coronavirus rules.
Chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation Ken Marsh said day-to-day households wouldn’t be faced with a cop knocking on their door to check they were following coronavirus restrictions on Christmas Day.
About 20millions Brits were told over the weekend their Christmas had been cancelled as London and the South East were plunged into Tier 4 lockdown.
Under the strictest regulations, households will not be allowed to meet on Christmas Day. They are also not permitted to enter or leave the tier.
And those in lower tiers have had their Christmas bubbles cut to just 24 hours after Boris Johnson initially promised Brits could meet with three other households over five days.
But speaking today, the police federation’s Mr Marsh said: “We won’t be knocking on people’s doors at all, unless there is a large group and noise, ie a party or something like that.
“But normal day-to-day households? There’s no way that my colleagues will be dealing with that.”
He told BBC News if people refuse to open the door to police, officers have no power to force entry to the property, calling coronavirus laws a “toothless tiger”.
His comments come after Matt Hancock yesterday insisted it was up to the police to ensure the coronavirus laws were upheld.
Speaking on the Andrew Marr Show on Sunday, the Health Secretary said: “Of course. It’s the police’s responsibility to police the law and the law came into force in the early hours of this morning.”
British Transport Police confirmed over the weekend that extra officers were being deployed while patrols on the border of Scotland and England were doubled.
But other regions have indicated they won’t be stopping Brits from moving between tiers.
Assistant Chief Constable for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Constable Maggie Blyth said: “We will not be preventing people from travelling from one area to another, but are working with ferry operators and partner agencies to ensure that the public is informed about the restrictions in place.
“Everyone must observe the restrictions from the highest tier that they are travelling from or to at all times.”
She confirmed Covid-19 patrols would continue “as required”.
The Isle of Wight remains in Tier 1 while Portsmouth across the Solent is in Tier 4.
