Sussex Police Chief Constable Giles York says his team have a crucial role amid the coronavirus pandemic and will enforce the government guidelines

The message is really simple: Stay at home, protect the NHS, save lives.

However, just how easy is it to adhere to these rules, what does it actually mean for daily life and what does it mean for all of us as individuals?

Just sticking to those simple rules can be really challenging, especially over weeks. Nevertheless, we are seeing the vast majority of the public, nationally and, certainly across Sussex, sticking to those rules.

We can see this in data from media sources showing the reduction in road use, use of public transport, other measures and, of course, in our empty streets and outdoor spaces.

Policing has been given a really critical role to play in protecting the NHS with new powers that we can use to enforce the Government guidelines. However, policing by consent means we use the powers of enforcement in a balanced and measured way.

All my officers and PCSOs know how to engage with their communities and explain why it is so important that everyone follows the guidelines. Simply put – each one of us can help protect the critical care capacity of the NHS and prevent deaths.

It means that anyone breaching the guidelines is putting themselves, other people and possibly their own family at greater risk of catching the virus.

The police will always try to encourage someone to abide by the guidelines through their own choice. However, there is a line – and we will make it quite clear – and if people choose to continue to breach the guidelines, we will use our enforcement powers.

If you think there is a significant breach that is putting others at risk, you can report it through our website. Each and every report is reviewed and prioritised.

We have seen in media reports people who think they are above the guidelines or think they can operate outside the guidelines. I have had emails from people explaining why the message is too simple to accommodate their complex lives. Everybody’s daily lives have changed: those who have experienced the grief of this virus first hand; those whose jobs have diminished or become non-existent; those who can no longer leave a house which is one of the most dangerous places for them to be when they suffer abuse. That is why daily life in policing just continues. We have seen dramatic changes. Of course we don’t go to so many pub fights or car crashes, but we are catching more drug dealers and we are still responding to calls for domestic abuse. We take this incredibly seriously.

The way in which we respond to your calls for help has had to change in some cases and we will always try to follow the latest national guidance that keeps my officers, staff, and the public as safe as possible. We must be conscious of how each one of us behaves, in line with the guidelines, both at work and outside. That means we will not come into your home unless we think it is absolutely necessary. For those who can, we are practising social distancing in the workplace and do much more work remotely.

My staff know I like nothing more than to sit through briefings with them, listening to what can make the organisation better. Now, I Skype into briefings twice a day, from Hastings across to Chichester, listening to the Response, Prevention and Investigation teams.

I regularly join national conference calls with other chief constables so my officers’ and staff’s concerns and experiences can be addressed nationally. Of course, so often, those meetings are about supply of personal protective equipment and when is testing going to be available for our frontline too.

I push hard to say any officer of staff member who has been spat at by someone saying they have Covid-19 should have access to testing at the right time.

At the best of times policing is a job that requires compassion and courage. At this time of national crisis, we need that more than ever. I am absolutely clear to all of my new recruits that becoming a police officer means you have a duty to put yourself in the way of harm, both physically and mentally.

I am absolutely committed, that when they and staff colleagues do just that, I have a duty to look after them.

I will do what I can to secure the right protective equipment for them, I will find the right medical care for them and all of their supervisors know this and will support them too.

I know they are making difficult decisions to keep themselves fit for coming to work so they can continue to serve their communities and keep them safe.

I have staff who have chosen to live away from their children, chosen to live away from their parents, difficult choices but just following that sense of duty that is so high in policing.