Chief Constable wishes people an enjoyable and safe VE Day
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Warwickshire Police Chief Constable Martin Jelley has wished everyone in the county a safe and enjoyable VE Day – and urged them to continue to follow the social distancing restrictions.
He said: “I’d like to say thank you on behalf of the police and all our partner agencies to the people of Warwickshire, who to a very large extent have complied with the Government lockdown guidance, which as we must not forget is in place to protect people in our communities, including our loved ones.
“With VE Day, we are anticipating a busy weekend, so we will have extra officers on duty to make sure our communities are safe. We want everybody to enjoy the VE Day celebrations, but they are going to have to be a bit different to perhaps what we had all planned a few months ago.
“I want my officers out and about reducing crime and protecting the public, not being called to incidents where people are gathering in large groups or mixed households.
“My plea would be, celebrate VE Day, it is absolutely the right thing to do, the heroes of 75 years ago saw this country through the war and it is important to mark what they achieved and sacrificed.
"Indeed, we will be celebrating ourselves as a force, honouring the two minute silence and remembering the nine Warwickshire Police officers who lost their lives in the Second World War.
“But when it comes to the social activities and celebrations, we are asking people to stick with and respect the guidelines, stay at home and celebrate with your families without mixing households and without creating large social gatherings.”
The Gov.uk website has information on VE day and ideas for celebrating the occasion while maintaining social distancing.
The Warwickshire Police approach to the lockdown has followed the guidance from the National Police Chiefs’ Council, and focused on engaging with people, explaining the restrictions and encouraging people to comply.
Enforcement has been used where this approach has not worked, or where people are repeatedly breaching restrictions.
Issued: MF, Corporate Communications