'When this passes, I hope people will remember the police for keeping people safe and not for issuing countless penalty notices'

Monday's Government announcement that face coverings will be mandatory in shops and supermarkets from July 24 led to much speculation about how — of even if — the new rules would be enforced.

When Boris Johnson announced the lockdown on March 23 in a bid to slow the spread of the deadly Covid-19 bug, police copped criticism on all sides for being too soft or too hard on those flouting the order to stay at home.

Sergeant Sam Dobbs chairs the Northamptonshire Police Federation, which represents police constables, sergeants and inspectors. He spoke to this newspaper about his hopes and fears for what will happen on Friday and beyond:

"Not for the first time, we find ourselves having to respond to a government announcement in response to the dreaded Covid-19. Not for the first time, this follows leaks and speculation.

"Not for the first time, the police service will respond professionally and at least this time we have some time whilst the National Police Chiefs Council comes up with guidance for Chief Constables to consider.

"This is a health crisis and I worry about the police being given another expectation in enforcement of the wearing of face coverings.

"Police demands are getting back to where they were prior to Covid and a flick through the local headlines about our drug and organised crime arrests, and recent serious crimes in Northamptonshire shows that our members are not resting on their laurels.

"I am pleased that national Police Federation colleagues are at the table when it comes to drawing up the legislation and we are in touch with them.

"The reality of the situation, as indicated by the Chief officers in Northamptonshire, is that the vast majority of the Northants public will comply with this latest requirement, as they did with previous requirements.

"With this requirement though, I hope that shops and stores will work with us to self-police the situation. After all, they have the ultimate sanction, far more effective than a fixed penalty – the person not wearing a mask simply won’t get served.

"I applaud my local supermarket, where there is a traffic light on the door. When it is red, you have to wait to go in, and when green, you can start your shop. No ‘policing’ is required. And there has rarely been the need to enforce the requirement for a customer to remove a helmet on entering a bank!

"Policing is not about sticking a ticket on everything and fining anyone who commits an offence. We police by consent, and we gain that consent by our officers remembering that they are the public too and treating the public how they want to be treated – with proportion and discretion.

"That’s why we have speed awareness courses for speeders but prosecute drink-drivers to the full extent of the law. Education has to come before enforcement, and enforcement has to be proportionate.

"So there’s much for our members to think about as we await to the latest guidance on how we will adapt to the latest law.

"Here in Northamptonshire, we are assured by the stance of our Chief Constable who strongly advocates this education before enforcement.

"We have also had to consider how to advise our members who will have to wear face coverings if they go to the local supermarket in their lunch break. But because face coverings are not PPE, officers will need to have face masks available, too, should they need to respond to an incident whilst in the supermarket. These are interesting consequences.

"Following some justified and unjustified criticism of the police during our journey through this Covid crisis, I would appeal to the community of Northamptonshire to support our officers by wearing masks and not to have unreasonable expectations of how the police will respond to reports of someone not wearing a mask.

"Fighting crime and protecting people will always come first, and we all have to consider our own safety against this virus – police officers and staff too.

"Of course, we will enforce the law, in the same professional spirit and style as we police all laws – but with our usual discretion and doing it with the public and not to the public, so that people will look back one day when this is past, and remember the police for keeping people safe and not for issuing countless fixed penalty notices."