Coronavirus: ‘Crystal clear’ drunk people unable to social distance, says Police Federation

The chair of the Police Federation has said that it is “crystal clear” that drunk people are incapable of social distancing, as health secretary Matt Hancock warned the government will take action against those breaking the rules.

Although the reopening of pubs, restaurants and bars in England passed without any major incidents on Saturday, concern has been raised over the practicalities of enforcing guidance among those under the influence.

Packed scenes in London’s Soho district appeared to show large crowds gathered in the streets, while the Metropolitan Police reported that a “small number” of premises had been closed due to crowding – though it added there had been “no significant issues” in the capital.

John Apter, national chairman of the Police Federation, a staff association for police in England and Wales, said he and colleagues had dealt with “happy drunks, angry drunks, fights” and antisocial behaviour while on duty in Southampton.

“What was crystal clear is that drunk people can’t/won’t socially distance,” he tweeted.

“It was a busy night but the shift managed to cope. I know other areas have had issues with officers being assaulted.”

Rafal Liszewski, a store manager at Clonezone on Soho’s Old Compton Street in London, described the local crowds as “out of control”.

“Saturday started very easy. But you could feel tension in the air,” the 36-year-old told PA.

“Around 1pm crowds started to arrive... quickly everything got out of control and by 8-9 pm it was a proper street party with people dancing and drinking.

“Barely anyone was wearing masks and nobody respected social distancing... to be honest with that many people on one street it was physically impossible.”

Elsewhere, four people were arrested and several pubs decided to close after alcohol related anti-social behaviour in north Nottinghamshire.

Nottinghamshire Police said three pubs in Mansfield and Sutton in Ashfield, plus two in Arnold and Newark, were forced to close.

Inspector Craig Berry thanked “the majority of the public who have acted responsibly throughout Saturday.”

Devon and Cornwall Police also received more than 1,000 reports throughout ‘Super Saturday’, most of which were “drink-related”.

And in Essex, an officer tweeted to say police had made four arrests following “disturbance” on Brentwood High Street.

Addressing concerns raised by Mr Apter, Mr Hancock said on Sunday that the “vast majority of people” had acted responsibly.

“Well I think that from what I’ve seen, although there’s some pictures to the contrary, very, very largely people have acted responsibly,” he told Sky News.

“The large proportion of people, the vast majority of people are, I think, doing the right thing”.

However, he added: “But of course we’ll take action when we need to when... if the minority break the rules.”

On those who did not social distance, Mr Hancock said: “Well we’ll of course keep this very closely under review, and you’ve seen for instance in Leicester but also in other places that we don’t shirk from bringing in more drastic measures if that is what’s needed to control the virus.”

Mr Hancock said the government’s message to the public is “enjoy the new freedoms, but do so safely”.

Sir Simon Stevens, NHS England chief executive, told the BBC: “Pleasingly, we did not see last night the kind of scenes that people feared might be. It was the foolish few, but the sensible majority.”

The latest figures show the R rate range has risen above 1 in London – meaning cases of the virus could be growing again.

In the capital, the range is thought to be between 0.8 and 1.1. Across the UK, the government says the estimated R number is between 0.7-0.9.

On Friday, England’s chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, warned that “this virus is a long way from gone.