Elisabeth Chapple, the police commander for the South West BCU which covers Kingston, Richmond, Wandsworth and Merton has called on everyone in the community to play their part in driving down Covid rates by following the rules and minimising contact with others.

Chief Superintendent Chapple said: "Everyone will understand the critical situation London, and especially the NHS is under, due to the high levels of Covid in our communities.

"We've seen the doctors and nurses of our local hospitals; Kingston, St Helier Hospital and St Georges under strain due to the number of people they are caring for and would like to add our thanks to that of the community for the personal sacrifices being made by NHS staff.

"In the last week the Met has started supporting the London Ambulance Service with 75 officers who will be driving some it its ambulances to emergency calls around our (out) city in the week ahead. This will support the London Ambulance Service to get to calls more quickly.

"We know most people are doing the right things - staying home as much as they can, wearing masks when they should, and avoiding gatherings of all kinds. We thank them for that. However, a small, minority continue to bend, break and in some cases completely ignore these rules and in doing so endanger us all.

"Your local officers are out in our streets and although they will engage with people, explain the rules and encourage people to do the right thing first, they will quickly issue fines or even arrest people who fail to respond. The Met has issued more fines in recent weeks than in the whole of the rest of the pandemic – not because we want to but because the situation now is so critical.

"Since Christmas we've have issued a number of fines including to a group who met in a car park in Earlsfield on 21st January, all from various addresses across London. When approached the excuse given was they'd stopped for a smoke and they had been out in Richmond - one of them even worked booking in Covid vaccines for a hospital. All were issued fines.

"You'll realise that every time officers have to tackle people for Covid breaches, or indeed other crime and anti-social behaviour, they put themselves, and their families at increased risk from this deadly disease. I know you'll join me in thanking them for their professionalism, dedication and commitment.

"Lastly, many of you will have seen that Covid case figures in London have started to fall in recent days and like me are hopeful the vaccine roll-out will reduce these further but please remember rates are still dangerously high – many, many times what they were only a few weeks ago. More than 10,000 Londoners have died of Covid and every day last week more than 10,000 were diagnosed with Covid. Tragically, this will mean more people will die.

"That's why we must stay at home but if you do need to go out for one of the allowed reasons be assured your local police will be playing their part in keeping you, and everyone else, safe."