UK Home Office grants new police lockdown enforcement powers

The UK's Home Office has granted police in England new powers to enforce lockdown rules for six months, to be reviewed every three weeks. The police can now: order people to disperse or leave an area; ensure parents are doing all they can to top their children from breaking the rules; issue a £60 fine, lowered to £30 if paid within 14 days; and issue a £120 fine for second-time offenders, to double on each further repeat offence. Non-payers can be taken to court, where magistrates can impose unlimited fines; police can arrest those who still do not comply. The Home Office promised, however, that police would always apply common sense and discretion.

Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52053527

Writer: BBC
Publication: BBC