Essex's Chief Constable talks to parliament about policing during the pandemic
Ben-Julian Harrington was talking to the Joint Committee on Human Rights
Out of 37,000 police engagements with people in Essex, encouraging them to comply with coronavirus restrictions - only 929 resulted in Fixed Penalty Notices being handed out.
That's according to Ben-Julian Harrington, who's the Chief Constable of Essex Police.
He was speaking yesterday at the Joint Committee on Human Rights which was looking at covid-19 fines and protests:
"We've dealt with blatant and egregious breaches, but where we have worked to warn and encourage and explain to people - I think the previous witnesses suggested that we're actually telling people how to comply - and I think we have done that.
"We very much were the only visible presence on the street, reassuring the public... and have continued to be the visible leadership presence across many communities."
Ben-Julian Harrington said they had to interpret laws 'at pace' when the pandemic hit, as well as carrying out normal duties.
He added:
"That's as well as the anxiety of all of those officers who have been worried about their own health, their own safety."
The Chief Constable said his officers in Essex have had to use their discretion when it came to enforcing restrictions, adapting to differences across the past year.
He said that the situation will be very different when there is an 'obvious health breach' compared to other, less-risky situations.
Most people had then followed rules after receiving advice from officers, Mr. Harrington said.