North Yorkshire: Police force to set up 'Covid cars'

North Yorkshire Police is to use government cash to launch "Covid cars" to deal with groups flouting coronavirus rules

A police force is planning to launch a squad of "Covid cars" to provide a rapid response to public tip-offs about rule breakers.

North Yorkshire Police wants to use its share of a £30m government fund to pay for the service.

Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan said the force is developing proposals which will be presented to the Home Office.

It aims to have specially crewed vehicles primed to react to calls.

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Mrs Mulligan told the York and North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel the force intended to spend part of its £280,000 on paying for overtime to boost enforcement, including patrols at Covid hotspots, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

She was speaking as the service began enforcing the guidelines, which currently in North Yorkshire include a ban on groups of more than six people meeting unless they are in a larger household or a support bubble and pubs, bars and restaurants closing by 22:00.

York is set to move into Tier 2 restrictions from Saturday when police will be tasked with enforcing a ban on people meeting those who they do not live with indoors.

The meeting was told the force was set to focus efforts on upholding rules surrounding licensed premises.

Mrs Mulligan said: "If there are problem premises where residents have concerns about the way they are behaving, then these cars can be deployed to those sorts of things."

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