Police will break up Christmas gatherings which break coronavirus rules, a top police chief has said.
David Jamieson, the West Midlands police and crime commissioner, said officers will investigate reports over rule-breaking over Christmas.
“If we think there’s large groups of people gathering where they shouldn’t be, then police will have to intervene,” he told the Telegraph.
“If, again, there’s flagrant breaking of the rules, then the police would have to enforce.
“It’s not the police’s job to stop people enjoying their Christmas. However, we are there to enforce the rules that the Government makes, and if the Government makes those rules then the Government has to explain that to the public.”
Jamieson also warned of violent outbreaks from the public due to “frustration” regarding coronavirus rules.
He added: “We’re sitting on a time bomb here. We’re getting very near the stage where you could see a considerable explosion of frustration and energy.
“Things are very on the edge in a lot of communities and it wouldn’t take very much to spark off unrest, riots, damage.”
Jamieson’s comments after many Christmas events up and down the country have been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, including Hyde Park’s iconic Winter Wonderland.