Gloucestershire’s Chief Constable and my message this Easter is clear …. we need the public to abide by the Government’s social distancing rules and stay at home.

It is my job to hold the Chief Constable Rod Hansen to account on your behalf .

I do this through regular formal and informal meetings.  But in these different times, even the way I hold to account has to change and adapt to the world we are currently living in.

That\’s why today, I held a meeting with a difference, we Skyped and we\’ve recorded it as a video for you to watch, please watch below.

The key message is…

The key point from the Chief Constable in today\’s chat, was that this Easter its  ‘vitally important’ people in Gloucestershire avoid the temptation to break the current lockdown.

Mr. Hansen said, “We’re coming up to the Easter holiday; the weather looks fine; children are getting less homework and I understand the temptation to go out and visit other parts of our stunning county.

“Unless your journey is essential, please don’t go because we will be out in force, as we were last weekend, and there is a very high likelihood you will be turned around.”

Additional policing powers

As the Covid-19 pandemic has intensified and police powers extended, my office is getting lots of messages from the public asking questions about how policing has changed as a result of the current restrictions.

For transparency and to keep the public informed, I\’ve decided and the Chief Constable has agreed to have some of our meetings recorded in the form of a video which will be broadcast on both the OPCC and Constabulary’s websites and social media channels.

Please be reassured

I have been very impressed, and reassured, by the way Gloucestershire Police  officers have carried out their duties during these very difficult times.

But an important part of my role is holding the Chief Constable to account and as the public are not privy to the information I receive, I am happy to put some of their questions for them and will continue to do so.