POLICE UPDATE
Priti Patel announcement: What did the Home Secretary say in her speech on police fines today January 12?
PRITI Patel addressed the nation tonight as police step up enforcing coronavirus fines.
The Home Secretary was joined by Martin Hewitt, Chair of the National Police Chiefs Council, as well as Dr Vin Diwakar, Regional Medical Director for London for the January 12 press conference.
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What time was Priti Patel's announcement?
Priti Patel's announcement began at 5pm on January 12, 2021. She was joined by Martin Hewitt, Chair of the National Police Chiefs Council, as well as Dr Vin Diwakar, Regional Medical Director for London.
It is the first No10 press briefing the Home Secretary has given since May 2020.
What did Priti Patel say?
The Home Secretary pressed the Government's message that the nation must stick by the rules to get Covid cases down again, after days of the numbers soaring.
Patel began the briefing saying the UK remains "locked in a fight" with Covid-19, adding that more than 2.4m people have now been vaccinated.
Of those who test positive across all settings, 83,203 people have now died, and 1,243 deaths were reported yesterday. She added: "These numbers are horrifying".
The Home Secretary stressed: "A minority of people are putting the health of the nation at risk by not following the rules.
"If you do not play your part, our selfless police officers who are out there, risking their own lives to keep us safe are enforcing the regulations.";
She added that nearly 45,000 fixed penalty notices have now been issued.
Martin Hewett, the chair of the national police chief council then added that the police have been playing their part in defeating the virus by ensuring compliance.
He said: "A stubborn number of people have refused to abide by the regulations and we've had to use enforcement powers."
He then listed a range of people who have broken the rules, including a boat party of over 40 people, a minibus full of people walking miles away from home, and an individual who was arrested for organising a rave.
He then said: "Organising parties or large gatherings is dangerous, selfish and totally irresponsible. Organisers will be fined, but so too will the people who chose to attend."
Dr Diwakar, NHS England Medical director in London, said: "There comes a point where if the infection gets further out of control, more and more patients from London will need to be transferred elsewhere."
He urged people to follow the rules and "act like you have Covid"
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