Yahoo Finance Cutting crime: 31 Met officers face fines for haircuts at police station
The Metropolitan police says that 31 of its officers broke lockdown rules to have a haircut in a police station while on duty.
The Met, Britain’s biggest force, said each officer would face a £200 fixed penalty notice after their trim turned into an embarrassing brush with the law.
Under the rules for the national lockdown in England, barbers and hair dressers cannot operate because of fears the proximity to their clients could aid the spread of the highly infectious Covid-19.
The haircutting took place at Bethnal Green police station, east London, on 17 January, the Met said.
The force said it received allegations that a professional barber had been operating at the police station.
An investigation was launched with 31 officers identified as having sat in the barber’s chair, in breach of Covid regulations, and having had their haircut. Police chiefs have decided they should be issued with a fine.
The Met said the investigation had identified two officers as being involved in organising the marathon haircutting session. They have been notified that they face an investigation for misconduct.
The incident is embarrassing in a number of ways for the Met. The latest lockdown saw the police commissioner, Cressida Dick, announce a crackdown on rule breakers among the public as infection rates sky rocketed.
Last week nine Met officers were fined for having breakfast together and the government wants police to lead the charge on stricter enforcement.
DCS Marcus Barnett, a local police chief, said: “It is deeply disappointing and frustrating that my officers have fallen short of the expectation to uphold Covid-19 regulations. Although officers donated money to charity as part of the haircut, this does not excuse them from what was a very poor decision. I expect a lot more of them.
“It is right therefore [that] officers should each face a £200 fine, as well as misconduct action for those two who organised this event.
“Quite rightly, the public expect police to be role models in following the regulations which are designed to prevent the spread of this deadly virus. I hope this action proves that police are not immune to enforcement of the rules, and we are prepared as an organisation to take action if we see officers have behaved irresponsibly.”
