Days of action find Covid rule breakers in Hackney and Tower Hamlets

TWO DAYS OF ACTION in Hackney and Tower Hamlets over the weekend 11th and 12th February led to police identifying over 70 people who appear to have broken Covid Health Protection regulations or committed other offences.

Everyone identified has been reported and may receive a Fixe Penalty Notice. Several strands of the Metropolitan Police Force were involved in the action, including Safer Neighbourhood Teams and specialist teams. The action was also supported by the two borough councils.

Among those found breaching regulations included owners of non-essential businesses which were continuing to trade. People not sticking to the “stay at [your own] home” rule were found having parties and other social gatherings. Give of the arrests over the weekend were not directly relating to Covid. These included public order and drugs offences as well as immigration offences.

As well as law enforcement, police also held a surgery to offer advice to members of the public about hate crime and a session aimed at school staff, students and parents about Covid and schools.

Chief Inspector Pete Shaw said, “Though police continue to work to manage and mitigate the damage done by breaches of coronavirus legislation, another key part of our work is to ensure that members of our community feel supported during this time. I am extremely proud of the amount of work that my officers and our partners in the Local Authorities have been able to achieve over our two days of action, and encourage the public to contact police with any concerns about breaches of COVID by calling 101 or reporting online.”

Deputy Mayor of Tower Hamlets Cllr Sirajul Islam said, “The vast majority of our residents continue to follow Covid-19 restrictions, making huge personal sacrifices for the health and safety of our community. We are working closely with the police to issue fines to those who are putting others at risk by continuing to break the rules. I want to thank the local police and council officers for their tireless work patrolling our streets and enforcing the restrictions where necessary.”

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