Surrey Police Get £400,000 Boost to Fund Tighter Control of Covid-19 Safety Rules

Published on: 11 Oct, 2020
Updated on: 13 Oct, 2020

David Munro

David Munro, the Police and Crime Commissioner, has welcomed a near-£400,000 government boost to help police enforcement of the Covid-19 rules in Surrey.

The Home Office has released an additional £60 million in “surge funding” for police and local councils to help tackle the rise in infections.

The extra money is for increased police patrols in town centres and to ensure people are complying with Covid-19 and self-isolation requirements.

Surrey Police now have to submit their plan to the Home Office outlining how they will allocate their £388,264 share.

Click on this link for full details of the Home Office announcement.

PCC Munro said: “We are entering a critical stage in the battle against the Covid-19 pandemic and continued public co-operation will continue to be crucial as we head toward winter.

“The four-E policing approach [Engage, Explain, Encourage, Enforce] to dealing with any breach of the restrictions with enforcement as a last resort has been the right one and the vast majority of people here stuck to the rules.

“But sadly, we are seeing a rise in cases nationally and here in Surrey, which is why it is now more important than ever that the small minority who continue to flout the restrictions face the full force of the powers available to officers.

“The Policing Minister has indicated these funds should be used only to pay for extra officer capacity through increased overtime or other suitable measures. So I will be working with the force to submit the plan on how we can best utilise this.

“My message to the people remains the same, we must all play our part and take personal responsibility by sticking to the rules to try to halt the spread of this virus.”