UK police officers face fines after having haircuts at police station during lockdown

Over 31 London Metropolitan Police officers are fined £200 ($275) each after being accused of breaching coronavirus regulations by having their hair cut in a police station while on duty. According to The Guardian, the police department said that it launched an investigation after the force received an allegation earlier this month that several officers had their hair cut by a professional barber while at Bethnal Green police station. It is worth mentioning that under the rules for the national lockdown in England, barbers and hairdressers cannot operate because of fears of proximity to their clients could aid the spread of COVID-19. 

The police department informed that the incident took place on January 17. They added that two officers who were involved in organising the activity are under investigation of misconduct. In a statement, the local policing commander Detective Chief Superintendent Marcus Barnett further said that it is “deeply disappointing and frustrating” that his officers have called short of the expectation to uphold COVID-19 regulations. 

Barnett said that although officers donated money to charity as part of the haircut, it still does not excuse them from what was a “very poor decision”. He added that it right that officers should each face a fine, as well as misconduct action for those two who organised this event. He also said that he hopes this action proves that police are not immune to the enforcement of the rules, and that is prepared as an organisation to take action if they see officers have behaved irresponsibly. 

READ: UK Hits Grim COVID-19 Death Toll Figure Of 100,000

READ: UK Eyes Quarantine Hotels For Travelers To Curb Variants

COVID-19 in UK 

Meanwhile, at present, the UK is witnessing its third lockdown. Earlier, Prime Minister Boris Johnson had clarified that restrictions would end somewhere in mid-February, however, did not lay out an exact date. But country’s Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab recently expressed the government’s desperation to get out the catastrophic lockdown. ‘The roadmap that I’ve described means that by early spring, hopefully by March, we’ll be in a position to make those decisions,” he said.

The British territory is divided into four tiers based on the intensity of coronavirus infection. According to the UK government personal care facilities in England - such as hair, beauty, tanning and nail salons - are closed, and the services should not be provided in other people's homes. With over 3,700,000 cases and 100,359 fatalities, the UK has been hammered by coronavirus pandemic and could see London population see a fall in more than 30 years.

READ: UK Launches New Global Platform To Track New COVID-19 Variants

READ: Snow Swept Across English Zoo, Netizens React To The 'winter Wonderland'