Staffordshire’s police chief has thanked “the vast majority” who have followed coronavirus restrictions.

Chief Constable Gareth Morgan said patrols had been stepped up over the past month as part of efforts to bring the spread of COVID-19 under control.

Chief Constable Gareth Morgan
Chief Constable Gareth Morgan

He said officers would continue to support efforts to reduce the infection rate.

“Since the national restrictions came into effect last month, there has been lots of hard work across the county to bring cases down and the force has stepped up patrols and worked closely with partners to ensure high levels of compliance with the rules.

“Most people have followed these closely and made personal sacrifices to do so and this has brought down the number of cases which is really encouraging, although these are still above the regional and England average.

“The challenge now is to maintain the progress which has been made so it is important that we all redouble our efforts and follow the rules to continue to bring cases down.

“Thank you again to the vast majority of people who are doing this and making sacrifices to play their part in bringing the virus under control so we can all return to a more normal way of life.”

Ch Cons Gareth Morgan, Staffordshire Police

New Tier 3 restrictions mean people cannot mix with anyone they do not live with unless they are part of the same support bubble.

Ch Cons Morgan’s comments come after police in Lichfield said fines would be issued to the parents of a group of teenagers who were caught meeting up in a house in Streethay over the weekend.