'Pubs closed and football postponed has helped us' says top South Yorkshire Police officer

Chief Constable Stephen Watson, speaking at a public accountability board meeting via telephone conferencing, said the South Yorkshire public had broadly adhered to the government’s lockdown rules during the coronavirus pandemic.

He said his South Yorkshire Police force had managed to pivot their work during the pandemic and the shutdown of events and places where people meet had made this possible.

He said the force had submitted their own assessment to central government on the lockdown and mentioned ‘broad compliance’ of the public.

Mr Watson said the ‘vast majority’ of residents in South Yorkshire had been ‘magnificent’ in abiding by the rules.

Police now have new powers to enforce the lockdown, but follow a ‘explain, engage and encourage’ model.

Enforcement and fines of up to £120 and possible court action could follow if previous steps are ignored.

Mr Watson said: “So far, the abstractions we are seeing are very manageable and are almost entirely offset by a reduction in the general volume type demand we usually experience.

“When you close pubs, clubs, restaurants and you don’t have football matches, these are things which generate a lot of activity to keep our staff busy and these things have fallen away.

“We are still able to manage business as usual in the same way as we would otherwise aspire to do, but we are also able to pivot to the demand which is brought about by Covid-19 in our own roles or supporting partners.

“We can also uphold the restrictions set out by the government which are well understood by the public by now - but it is important these rules are upheld.

“People in the whole understand these restrictions and they know that at the end of the day, they are there to save lives.

“This is about protecting vulnerable people and making sure the NHS becomes overwhelmed.”

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