Commissioner Cressida Dick, while out on patrol with officers in Battersea yesterday (24 March), reassured Londoners that the Met carries on policing to keep London safe.

Since the Prime Minister’s announcement on Monday (23 March) officers have been on the streets of London to advise people and businesses of the new rules.

The Commissioner said: “My officers are talking to people, engaging with people, they’re explaining the new guidance and the new rules. The vast majority of people are very positive and want to comply with the new guidance. We all have our role to play in keeping our country safe, keeping everybody safe.”

On enforcing the rules, the Commissioner added: “We will only use enforcement if we absolutely have to but we won’t hesitate if there are people who are deliberately breaching the law. But I think the vast majority of people will want to comply with the law to keep their society safe.”

The Commissioner explained that the Met is in a good position to respond to the challenges posed by Coronavirus. She said: “It’s a huge challenge for the entire country and for London. We have robust plans in place for this extraordinary situation and the Met is a very strong and experienced police service.

“We’ve shown time and again, our ability to adapt, to rise to a challenge, to flex and surge our resources and out staff and even in the darkest of time to be able to keep people safe and give a good quality police service. I am determined we will do that.”