Cambridgeshire Police Federation chair Liz Groom is urging the public to work with police when new coronavirus restrictions come into force.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson last night set out a three-tier system of Covid-19 restrictions for England.
The new regional rules will replace the current national measures and are set to run from 3 December until next spring.
Liz said the Federation was seeking more clarity on the restrictions, but urged the public to continue to do their bit to prevent the spread of the virus.
She said: “We’ve had fantastic buy-in and support from the people of Cambridgeshire in policing the pandemic so far and we ask them to continue to work with us when the new rules come into effect.
“Our members have worked extraordinarily hard to keep the public safe throughout the pandemic and the vast majority of people have supported us.
“As a Federation, we’re seeking more information about what these new rules will mean for the public and our members on the ground.
“The Government is introducing these new measures, and it’s up to us as police officers to enforce them. We want to do that fairly and with the support of the public.”
Ché Donald, national vice-chair of the Police Federation, said the new rules could be difficult to enforce, particularly if there’s a relaxation over Christmas.
“Police officers are human beings who are doing an extraordinary job in extraordinary circumstances,” he said, “However, a potential short-term relaxation of Covid-19 regulations and a return to the tier system represents a unique challenge and will be next to impossible to police.
“We will not be trying to spoil people’s fun or ruin Christmas – we’re trying to stop this deadly virus taking more lives. The vast majority of the public understand this and support us.
“However, we’ve also been criticised by some for enforcing too much – while others have said it’s not enough.
“A limited break in restrictions may also introduce scenarios where travelling across the UK to visit family could be a breach of regulations one day and not the next.
“My colleagues will step up to this challenge – as they have many times since the lockdown began in March.
“But our message to the Government is police officers need clearer and more consistent rules which can be enforced fairly, and the public need clearer instructions so that they know what they are allowed to do within the law.”