Senior officer thanks communities across Lincolnshire for their Covid-19 compliance

ACC Kerrin Wilson visited the town centres, market places and supermarkets of Boston and Grantham before heading to Skegness and Mablethorpe to see how communities have responded to the government’s social distancing instructions.

While officers shared their concerns over what they are facing they were very focussed on the task in hand - to help save lives.

Following new dispersal powers given to Lincolnshire Police, the force is able to take enforcement against anyone ignoring this, but is actively engaging with residents to help avoid doing so.

ACC Wilson, who is leading on the force’s response to Covid-19, says: “I have personally seen that the vast majority of residents are following the instructions. Thank you for this and for supporting our truly amazing public health service.

“However I did come across a small number that were not. If people continue to go about their lives and ignore the national pandemic, they are putting not only themselves at risk, but also those around them.

“This includes a whole host of professionals from carers and paramedics to NHS staff and police officers who may be part of the response to someone falling ill.

“We are approaching this by speaking with our communities and making sure that people are helping to keep themselves and others safe.

“We don’t want to have to issue any fines or make arrests – we will only do this when there is no other option.

“We won’t be setting up road blocks and stopping people in their vehicles unless there is a clear policing reason for us to do so – we are trusting our communities to follow the national advice and only make essential journeys.”

New dispersal powers have been given to police officers to help reduce the spread of coronavirus.

These powers will only be used if someone fails to comply after officers have engaged with them – officers will explain the risks to public health and encourage people to comply.

• The legislation states that officers will be able to disperse groups of more than two people from any public place. Groups of more than two people – who live in the same household – are permitted

• Anyone who refuses to disperse will be given a fixed penalty notice of £60. This will be lowered to £30 if paid within 14 days

• Second time offenders will be issued with a £120 fixed penalty notice. This will then double on each further repeat offence

• Anyone who does not pay a fixed penalty notice under the new regulations could be taken to court. Magistrates will then be able to impose unlimited fines

• Anyone who refuses to comply will be acting unlawfully. This may result in being arrested, where it is deemed proportionate and necessary. However, the first instance, police will always apply their common sense and discretion.

A message from the Editor, Mark Edwards:

Thank you for reading this story on our website.

But I also have an urgent plea to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality local news on this free-to-read site and in print, please purchase a copy of our newspaper as well. With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on our town centres and many of our valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you buying a copy.

Our journalists are highly trained by the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards anywhere in the world. Our content is universally trusted - as all independent research proves.

As Baroness Barran said in a House of Lords debate this week on the importance of journalists: “Not only are they a trusted source of facts, but they will have a role to play in rallying communities and getting the message across about how we can keep ourselves and our families safe, and protect our NHS. Undoubtedly, they have a critical role.”

But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis. In return we will continue to forensically cover the local news - not only the impact of the virus but all the positive and uplifting news happening in these dark days.

In addition, please write to your MP urging the Government to provide some additional financial support for local newspapers and their websites like this one and ensuring that supermarkets continue to stock them. I cannot stress enough how important such an intervention would be.

We thank all our readers and advertisers for their understanding and support - and we wish YOU all the best in the coming weeks. Keep safe, and follow the Government advice. Thank you.