Coronavirus: West Mercia Police praises public for social distancing

Chief Superintendent Tom Harding said: “I want to thank the vast majority of people for adhering to social distancing rules, which state that everybody must stay at home where possible and only leave if they have a ‘reasonable excuse’, such as exercise or shopping for basic necessities.

“I have been briefed and seen numerous images showing normally vibrant towns and villages empty, and people being sensible in rural areas while exercising. However, there were isolated examples from across the force area of people flouting the restrictions, criminals taking advantage of the lockdown and a charge being brought following an incident where a security guard was spat at. I want to reassure the public that we will engage, explain and encourage most people to comply with the rules but we will enforce where people are deliberately endangering our NHS and others by non-compliance.

In Hereford, a 26-year-old man was charged at the weekend with obstructing a person from carrying out a function under the Coronavirus legislation and assault by beating, following an incident outside a supermarket where a security officer was spat on and assaulted.

Meanwhile, in Worcestershire, thieves exploited the lockdown to target the cars of two nurses working on Saturday 4 April. During their 13 hour shift at Worcestershire Royal Hospital, the catalytic convertors from their cars were stolen while parked in the staff car park. An investigation is now underway.

Chief Superintendent Harding continued: “We understand that the lockdown is challenging. However, people must respect the regulations, as that is the only way of making sure that we restrict the spread of the disease.

“However, the behaviour of an irresponsible few was dealt with by our officers, ranging from public gatherings breaking social distancing rules to the nurses affected by theft. Crimes such as the latter are awful at the best of times, but to target NHS staff in the current climate is truly abhorrent. An investigation is underway and we are doing all we can to find those responsible and bring them to justice. 

“The good news is that it is the minority and most people are behaving respectfully and legally, showing real community spirit. However, where needed we can use enforcement, including the new Coronavirus legislation if appropriate, to protect workers and the public, and we are clear that incidents such as spitting at others will be met with an incredibly robust response by Police and we will arrest people and put them before the court. We are also able to target anyone who is out and about in our community seeking to cause harm, we have seen a number of proactive arrests showing that we can ensure that both the current rules are being complied with and that we continue to target other criminality.

“We understand you may have concerns about gatherings and people not following the guidelines, and you can report any concerns where you feel there is a significant issue or breach of coronavirus measures on our website at www.westmercia.police.uk, using the ‘Tell us about’ button on the homepage. In the meantime, we will continue to be out across the force area, engaging, explaining and encouraging people to #stayhomesavelives.”