Officer uplift and policing Covid-19 restrictions

Message from Humberside Police:

In response to two sets of national statistics that have been released today in regards to the boost in police officer numbers by the Government’s “Join the Police” campaign, and the continued compliance of the public with proportionate police enforcement of the Covid-19 restrictions, Humberside Police Chief Constable Lee Freeman has issued the following statement:

“In 2017, we launched a recruitment campaign which was funded by the Police and Crime Commissioner and enabled us to welcome around 450 new officers to our teams.  These officers are now patrolling the streets and investigating reports to help keep our communities safe.

“We have been able to continue this increased level of recruitment thanks to the national uplift which will fund an additional 97 officers in Humberside in the first year. 

“We have already recruited 72 of those officers funded by the national uplift and we are currently shortlisting for the next intake.  I’m delighted that we have continued to have a high number of applications throughout the duration of the three years of enhanced recruitment.

“With new officers ready to start training later this year it is a really exciting time for us and we are looking forward to welcoming all our new recruits to the Humberside Police family,

“However, the times we are currently in and have been since last month remain completely unprecedented, with the entire country having to adapt and accept the changes, measures and restrictions put in place by the Government, in order to protect the NHS and save lives during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Our communities living within the Humberside force area are by no means any exception, and as I have previously said, I am pleased that the majority of people have been adhering to and abiding by the rules and guidance, and this continues to be the case.

“In policing the new rules, our approach has been to engage with our residents and communities, explaining and encouraging them to follow the guidance with enforcement considered only after all reasonable requests and other options have been tried.

“I remain confident and continue to believe this policing style and approach is the right one for the communities we serve, with the vast majority of those my officers and staff come into contact with, listening and furthermore, acting on the advice given.

“However, we are by no means complacent and we have taken action against those who have continuously chosen to ignore and flout the rules, putting others at risk.

“As of this morning, Thursday, 30 April, we have issued 87 fixed penalty notices under the new legislation relating to Covid 19 and this action will continue where people choose not to cooperate, to ensure we protect our communities, which will always be our priority.

“I would like to again, offer my personal thanks to our residents in Hull, East Riding and Northern Lincolnshire, who are all playing their part and supporting the national effort to do the right thing.

“We continue to provide an online reporting portal for suspected breaches of the guidance, to ensure our emergency 999 and non-emergency 101 lines remain available for other incidents. We will decide if immediate deployment to these reports is necessary, based on the circumstances and also what else we are dealing with, and whilst we will not be updating those who report issues to us, please be assured that every submission is reviewed and assessed.

“As we continue policing during these unprecedented times, I want to praise all of our officers and staff who are using a common sense approach in how they police, and I wish to reassure everyone that the day to day policing of crime that we have maintained, will also remain firmly in place and will continue with the intake of our new recruits.”