Police may ‘retreat’ from lockdown enforcement and only break up large gatherings in Sheffield

Kathryn Holloway, the Conservative Bedfordshire PCC, wrote that the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) and Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) have told ministers most issues are now a "personal and moral responsibility" rather than a policing matter, according to The Times.

She told fellow commissioners this week she and NPCC chair Martin Hewitt had told the Government police should not be responsible for enforcing guidelines.

And she said forces had "retreated" from enforcing the lockdown to engaging, explaining and encouraging, but added officers would still try to stop mass gatherings, the paper reported.

The NPCC said there had been no change in approach but accepted there will be less enforcement needed as restrictions are eased.

A Bedforshire PCC spokeswoman said: "The letter was entirely consistent with all public statements from NPCC lead Martin Hewitt concerning enforcement made from the point at which Government guidance changed and there is nothing whatever that is new in the stance described to PCCs as a result."

It comes amid the row over Dominic Cummings' driving around 260 miles from London to Durham with his wife and four-year-old child and taking a trip to Barnard Castle.

Boris Johnson has stood by his chief adviser, urging the country to "move on" despite fierce criticism and calls for Mr Cummings' resignation.

Labour's West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson said officers questioning people's lockdown movements are being told: "If it's OK for (Dominic) Cummings, it's OK for us."

He said he has received internal "intelligence reports" that frontline officers are now getting "push-back" from people, referring to Mr Cummings' actions.

Mr Jamieson told BBC Radio 4's World At One programme on Wednesday he believes that if Mr Cummings resigned it would "help the police enforce the rules and enforce the law", and claimed his actions had "undermined the Government".

The Government had already faced criticism that the easing of lockdown rules earlier this month created confusion.

Brian Booth, the chairman of the West Yorkshire Police Federation, said at the time the relaxation of restrictions had set officers an "impossible task" and the new rules were "effectively unenforceable".

Figures from the NPCC show a total of 14,244 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) were recorded by forces in England and Wales between March 27 and May 11 - before the rule changes - for breaches of the Health Protection Regulations.