Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what additional support she will provide to the police in managing crowded areas in summer 2021 in response to the increased covid-19 infection rate.

The Home Office has been working closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) throughout the Covid-19 pandemic to ensure forces have sufficient resourcing and guidance to operate safely. This includes managing crowded areas, such as during protests and other events. The NPCC also issued guidance to forces on the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to ensure that officers carrying out critical services are not put at risk.

We will continue to work extremely closely with police, alongside the NPCC, to ensure forces receive the equipment and guidance they need, when they need it, in order to carry out their jobs safely.