Police To Enforce Face Masks ‘As Last Resort’

Leicestershire Police say they will only attend calls about people not wearing face coverings in shops as ‘a last resort’ and the Northamptonshire Force will only send officers if there is a public order issue.

Face coverings are now mandatory in shops, supermarkets and takeaways in England, although there are some exceptions – including children under 11, people with certain disabilities or learning difficulties and those.

If you don’t follow the rules, you could be fined up to £100, with shops urged to enforce the regulations.

Sergeant Ryan Coleman is based at Market Harborough Police station:

A spokesman for Leicestershire Police added: “Our local partners have been working with retailers to ensure they are aware of the changes. We would ask that the public and retailers take a common sense approach and deal with non-compliance appropriately. We are asking all retailers to only call police as a last resort.”

Northamptonshire’s Assistant Chief Constable Simon Blatchly said:  “We will not be patrolling every outlet in Northamptonshire and so are relying on people following the rules.

“Our demand levels across the county have returned to pre-Covid levels and we have to prioritise the calls we receive, and so unless there is a public order issue, we won’t be attending calls about people failing to wear a face covering.

“If people have concerns about shoppers not wearing face coverings, we ask they report the incident online, rather than contact our control room, to allow our call handlers to answer emergency calls.”