'Challenging' weekend ahead for South Yorkshire emergency services after lockdown easing
Bars and pubs are now allowed to serve indoors
South Yorkshrie emergency services are bracing themselves for a busy weekend - the first since bars and pubs reopened indoors.
As the nightime economy steps up a gear after the easing of restrictions on Monday there are fears police and ambulance crews could be stretched.
South Yorkshire Police Federation Chair Steve Kent says it could be the start of a really challenging few months for the force:
"People are going to be going out into town into the local pubs more and obviously people are going to, quite understandably, be having more to drink and enjoying themselves. This coupled with the Euros just round the corner, it's going to be a really challenging time ahead for us in policing.
"Our officers tend to be going from incident to incident from the time they come on until when they finish. When we think about pubs opening up and pub fights potentially, that's going to put a real strain on us on top of what's been a really difficult twelve months.
"There are no extra officers - it's the officers working longer and harder. So when people do start to have a blowout and start to go out and have a drink it's going to bring that nightime economy back, which has given us a bit of breathing space, but it's now going to come back on and create a challenge for our officers."
Monday's easing of lockdown, which saw hospitality businesses allowed to start serving inside and people allowed to meet in groups of six indoors too, was the biggest relaxation of restrictions so far in the pandemic.
It comes after South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner warned the "pressure cooker" of lockdown might "explode" this summer with a rise in crime as we come out of lockdown.
Steve Kent has this message for anyone going out this weekend:
"Just carry on doing what you've been doing and just be sensible when it comes to going out - think about things in moderation. We're hoping the lockdown lifting continues so everybody, including officers, can have a bit of a break, but we just want people to be as sensible as possible. Not just for the police but for the NHS and all of our servives."