Priti Patel urges police to target ‘high-risk’ parties over Christmas and New Year

Chief constables urged to focus on indoor gatherings that carry highest transmission risk

Priti Patel has urged police to focus on the high-risk events in areas of the country with the highest coronavirus transmission rates when enforcing restrictions over Christmas.

A letter sent to chief constables in England and Wales last week said they should increase visible patrols, amid concerns over the potential spread of Covid-19 at festive gatherings and New Year’s Eve parties.

The home secretary acknowledged that the 43 forces are operationally independent, but called for a common approach to indoor events where the virus can spread easily.

The letter, which was also signed by the chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), thanked officers for their work throughout the year and outlined priorities over the coming weeks and months.

It said police enforcement should focus on high-risk breaches of restrictions, such as house parties, raves and large indoor gatherings through Christmas and the New Year, The Independent understands.

A Home Office source said the aim was to follow scientific evidence on coronavirus transmission and reduce the public health threat, rather than “fining people for the sake of it”.

The letter, which was originally reported by The Times, predated the announcement of tighter tier 4 restrictions in the southeast.

Similar to the conditions of the UK’s first national lockdown, they will be applied to more English regions from Boxing Day following the discovery of a new strain of coronavirus that is feared to be more infectious.

Martin Hewitt, NPCC, has said that police will not be setting up roadblocks to prevent travel out of tier 4, although officers have the power to stop individual vehicles.

Police leaders have been attempting to improve consistency with the enforcement of coronavirus laws between different regional forces.

Figures have shown significant differences in the rate of fines issued, while dedicated Covid-19 patrols have been set up in some areas but not others.

New guidance issued to police officers across England on Monday confirmed that they will continue to use the same four-step model used throughout the pandemic before fining people.

It states that they must engage with people, explain the law and encourage them to follow it voluntarily before moving to enforcement - in the form of fines or arrests - as a last resort.

Under the Health Protection Regulations, which enforce coronavirus restrictions, police have no power to force entry to homes without being invited inside.

An NPCC source told The Independent that the home secretary’s letter did not change the overall approach, and that there were no concerns over insufficient enforcement.

Last week, Ms Patel said “nothing has changed” with how coronavirus laws will be policed over Christmas, and that authorities did not want to “criminalise people”.

“The police will continue to enforce against people, individuals, egregious breaches that effectively risk spreading the virus,” she added.

Asked if she would advise the public to report breaches, the home secretary added: “If I saw somebody flouting coronavirus regulations and the laws, of course I would look to inform the police about that … we do see the public and the police working together.”

The president of the Police Superintendents’ Association told The Independent that calls from neighbours would be assessed “on a scale of everything else we have to deal with”.

Chief Superintendent Paul Griffiths: “We will be very proportionate around coronavirus, everything is dynamically risk assessed.”

He said that decisions would be made locally on whether to respond to calls, in the light of the scale of the alleged breach and its priority against competing demands.

Police are leading the enforcement relating to restrictions on movement and gatherings, while councils and trading standards are in charge of businesses who have been ordered to shut.

Anyone contravening the law applying to their local tier can be handed a £200 fine for a first offence, which is reduced to £100 if paid within two weeks. The amounts double for each subsequent offence, up to £6,400 for the sixth and subsequent offences.

Anyone found to have organised or facilitated an illegal gathering can be fined £10,000, and separate laws are in place governing the wearing of masks, travel and self-isolation.