Around 60 officers were ready to storm the field in riot gear to break up the wake at Kettering Traveller funeral with 150 guests

Northamptonshire Police issued its first £10,000 fine to the organisers of a funeral in Kettering that took place yesterday (November 9) for breaching lockdown restrictions.

There were around 150 attendees at St Edward’s Roman Catholic Church in London Road, Kettering. Before Northamptonshire Police announced that they were going to issue a fine, they were widely criticised for not being more “robust”. Chief Constable, Nick Adderley, maintains that he is “content” that police officers “dealt with that in the most appropriate way.”

He said that this was a very difficult policing operation and Northamptonshire Police did not share with the public all of the things they did to make sure that people complied with the Covid legislation.

Chief Constable Nick Adderley said: “We did meet with the organisers prior to the funeral itself and we were assured that they were going to abide by the rules and they themselves are saying that they were taken by surprise by the number of people that attended.”

According to a commanding officer on the scene, the 30 initial funeral attendees did adhere to social distancing rules.

Chief Constable Adderley added: “It’s fair to say that even we were surprised by the number of people that attended the crematorium and then tried to attempt to go onto a wake where there were hundreds of people trying to get onto a field and enjoy that celebration of life.

“My sympathy goes out to the family but the reality is that we have a broader issue here and that’s about keeping the broader community safe.”

Officers did install road blocks closing off the field, turned a number of people away from the wake and prevented people from going into the marquee. Around 60 police officers in total were prepared in full riot gear to go onto the field and break the party up.

The organisers did work with Northamptonshire Police and dispersed of their own accord.

Responding to public criticism, Chief Constable Adderley said: “I am satisfied now that we are actively pursuing the organiser of that funeral and we are looking to issue that individual - all those individuals - with £10,000 fines. This is the balance we need to try and achieve. I am satisfied that we have struck the right balance and that will not be to everyone’s satisfaction, I get that.

“I am content that under the circumstances, under the resources that were available, under the threat present that we actually dealt with that in the most appropriate way.”