Police enforcement of shop face covering rule should be last resort

Martin Hewitt, Chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, said:

“While we were unaware that the announcement was to be made last night, we have the time to work closely with the Home Office, retailers and trade bodies on the implementation of new regulations on the wearing of face coverings in shops, which are due to come into effect on 24 July.

“We will expect retailers to manage entry to their stores and compliance with the law while customers are inside, with police involvement as a last resort.  As with other Coronavirus regulations, we will follow an approach of engaging, explaining, encouraging and only enforcing where encouragement has been unsuccessful.

“Experience shows that compliance with the regulations to manage the spread of Coronavirus is high and this must continue to be a joint effort between the retail sector, customers, government and police.  This is particularly important as demand on the police increases as the lockdown eases.”