We are fast approaching a year since the pandemic ushered in a different way of life for all of us overnight. For London boroughs, keeping London safe was the number one priority. Public health advice was underpinned by government regulations put in place to help stop transmission of the virus. While London residents and businesses have been overwhelmingly understanding and supportive of the new measures, enforcement of these regulations, particularly for the minority of people who continued to flout the rules, was necessary to protect all Londoners. 

  Early on during the first lockdown, London boroughs and the Metropolitan Police came together to develop a joint protocol concerning the enforcement of COVID-19 restrictions, which brought better understanding of each other's roles and improved co-ordination. This was followed up in October, when every London borough signed up to a partnership agreement with the police to assist in the enforcement of further COVID-19 regulations. It was also clear that in order to beat rising infection rates and return to normality as soon as possible that enforcement would need to be consistent, proportionate and understood by Londoners as a necessary part of infection control.