Hartlepool Police using 'engagement, encouragement and education' to enforce Covid-19 rules

Chief Inspector for Hartlepool Pete Graham said they are trying to keep it about ‘engagement, encouragement and education’ to ensure residents follow Covid-19 restrictions in place.

He added they have had calls to take more enforcement action, and this may happen moving forward, but it is something they are trying to stay away from, given the existing impacts of Covid-19.

The comments were made at the latest outbreak control engagement working group, after health chiefs stressed the importance of residents continuing to follow Covid-19 guidelines over Christmas.

Chief Inspector Graham, from Cleveland Police, said: “We’re very much trying to keep it still as engagement, encouragement and education.

“We do have lots of calls to move down the enforcement route, but I’m conscious that people’s finances have been affected, their lives have been affected, for the last 12 months.

“I’m trying to keep it as engaged as I possibly can, but moving forward we might have to start to consider more enforcement, but it’s something I’m trying to steer away from.”

This came after Craig Blundred, director of public health at Hartlepool Borough Council, reiterated the need for residents to follow Covid-19 guidelines going forward.

He added he was particularly worried about Christmas, with the Government announcing restrictions will be relaxed to allow bubbles of three households to be formed for a five day period.

Mr Blundred said: “I think as we move into the Christmas period we need to push the message we can’t let our guard down, we still need to be socially distancing.

“Fundamentally this virus is spread by social contact, so we need to restrict that as best we can going forward.

“I know it’s not a brilliant message for everyone to hear, but we don’t want to undo the good work that’s gone on so far.

“We need to be reinforcing the standard messaging we’ve got now about social distancing, about good hygiene, about mask wearing where appropriate.”

Mr Blundred, speaking on Friday, said early indications from the most up to date data is the Covid-19 case rate ‘may have dropped’ below 200 cases per 100,000 of the population in recent days.

The Covid-19 rate for Hartlepool was 268 cases per 100,000 on November 26, and dropped to 219 according to December 5 figures.

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