'We can all help bring this to an end as soon as possible' - South Yorkshire Police Chief Constable says

The truth is that things will likely get worse before they get better but it is not true to say that we are helpless in the face of this dreadful virus. If we continue to adhere to those necessary restrictions as announced by HM Government, we can all make a valuable individual contribution to bringing this battle to an end as soon as possible. The vast majority of the public are responding magnificently to the restrictions in place because they recognise that their compliance is literally saving lives by minimising the transmission of the virus and preventing the NHS from otherwise becoming overwhelmed.

Our approach to upholding the restrictions has been to engage and to educate. Of course, we may have to take action to enforce compliance but will do so only as a last resort. To date, we have taken formal enforcement action in a small number of cases. Even in these cases, the breach of restrictions have generally been accompanied by other offences, such as drug dealing or public order matters. In short, those on the end of our enforcement activity surrounding Covid-19 are generally the same personalities who are no strangers to the tender embrace of your local police officers! We have experienced some issues in small pockets of our community where language barriers have created something of an obstacle to understanding and compliance. We have now distributed hundreds of translated leaflets and have been well supported by community leaders in sharing the message. As a result, we are seeing compliance improve still further. Please be reassured, we are desperate not to use our powers and, contrary to recent reports, we are certainly not using the helicopter to seek out the odd dog walker who might have nipped out more than once on a given day! Where the actions of the irresponsible few however risk undermining the stoic efforts of those NHS staff who are working so hard to care for those who have fallen ill, we won’t hesitate to act in accordance with the legislation.

Whilst SYP is determined to play our part in what is a huge team effort, we remain fully committed to our core policing purpose. Whilst the force is suffering from a heightened absence rate, over 90% of our officers and staff remain and are fully engaged. We have seen a fall in general demand which has entirely offset our abstractions. It is for this reason that we are able to sustain both core business whilst flexing the organisation to meet Covid specific demand as well.

One area of continued and heightened focus for us at present surrounds domestic abuse. Sadly, we anticipate an increase in this type of offending and we are determined to do all that we can to support those at risk. We have adapted our processes to ensure we continue to secure Domestic Violence Protection Orders to remove abusers from the home setting, even during the isolation period. We are also proactively contacting known perpetrators to warn them of the consequences of any repeat offending. Because we know people may struggle to report abuse when the abuser is closely present, we are calling upon neighbours and family members to make us aware of anyone they feel may need our help and support. It is more important than ever that we collectively look out for those with no voice in these exceptional times. I am enormously proud of the men and women of South Yorkshire Police, they are going about their business on your behalf with real determination, commitment and cheerfulness. Nothing in this crisis will prevent your force from keeping the criminal on the back foot and doing all that we can to keep you and your families safe.

I have little doubt that the restrictions upon us all will feel increasingly onerous as time goes by. People are understandably looking forward to being able to resume their normal life and family pattern and to get beyond what remains an unprecedented situation. Now however is not the time to draw back from individual and collective compliance with the current restrictions. To do so will put at risk all that has been achieved and will cost lives. We are all in this together and so I urge everyone to stick with it so that we can win together.