Gotta catch 'em all! Police crack down on people playing Pokemon Go outdoors and use number plate cameras to stop second home owners entering Cornwall as council launches drone to stop seafront visitors

Officers in Essex spoke to a group in their 30s playing Pokemon Go outdoors
Portsmouth City Council is now using a drone to find rule-breakers in Southsea
In Devon and Cornwall, police are using ANPR cameras to crackdown on visitors Police officers have launched a crackdown on Pokemon Go players using the popular app outdoors, as other forces and local councils across England turn to tech to crackdown on lockdown breaching Britons.
The men, all said to be in their 30s, were spotted hunting for the virtual monsters using the walk-as-you-play mobile app - in which Pokemon appear on a player's screen as if they are in the actual real-world location.
It comes as a local council revealed they are using a drone to pick out potential lockdown rule breakers as they walk along busy Southsea seafront in Hampshire.
Elsewhere, officers in Devon and Cornwall are turning to number plate recognition technology to ensure only essential trips are made.
In Wiltshire, one unlucky rule-breaker was caught out when he slipped and injured himself while out for a walk at a popular beauty spot.
The nationwide crackdown comes as Home Secretary Priti Patel recently defended the actions of police looking to toughen-up their stance on lockdown-rule breakers.
Today, Britain's most senior police office said it is 'preposterous' that people could be unaware of the need to follow the third national lockdown.
In a stark warning to those thinking of breaching the lockdown, Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick, warned rule-breakers will be fined.
Meanwhile, Boris Johnson, who on Sunday was pictured exercising seven miles from Downing Street, also warned that tougher lockdown measures may be needed as he stressed 'now is the moment for maximum vigilance'.
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Police officers have launched a crackdown on Pokemon Go (pictured) players playing the popular app outdoors, as other forces and local councils across England turn to tech in a crackdown on lockdown breaching Britons
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The men, all said to be in 30s, were spotted hunting for the virtual monsters using the walk-as-you-play mobile app - in which Pokemon appear on a player's screen as if they appeared in the actual real-world location
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It comes as a local council took to the sky to launch their own Covid crackdown, using a drone to spy on potential lockdown rule breakers as they walked along a busy seafront
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Portsmouth City Council hired the drone to monitor footfall on the seafront and say footage obtained showed 'thousands' of people gathering along the front at the weekend
The warnings come as a police team in Essex admitted they had cracked-down on Pokemon Go users this week.
WHAT IS POKEMON GO?
Pokemon Go is a mobile augmented reality game developed by Niantic for both Android and iOS devices.
The game was released on July 6, 2016 and operates on a freemium model which allows it to be played for free, though additional in-game items and services are available for a fee.
Pokemon Go is a mobile augmented reality game developed by Niantic for both Android and iOS devices
Based on the wildly popular Pokemon franchise, the game’s objective is to find, capture and train Pokemon that appear on a player’s screen as if they appeared in the player’s actual real-world location.
Despite mixed reviews from critics, the game has proven to be hugely popular among gamers, being downloaded more than 750 million times within a year of its release.
The game shows virtual Pokemon as if they were in real-world locations
The game has proven to be a cultural phenomenon, though not without causing controversy along the way.
Researchers revealed that the game was responsible for a staggering $7.3 billion (£5.2 billion) in damages from car crashes in the United States alone within just a few months of its release.
However, other studies have shown the positive effects of the game, believing that it aided people who struggled in social situations by encouraging them to get out and interact with others.In a now-deleted post on Facebook, the Essex Police Rochford District team said: 'Our team have had cause to speak with a number of different men, aged 30 plus over the last week, who seemed to feel it is acceptable to attend certain public places within the district, to hunt Pokemon.
'Honestly, yes, you did read that correctly.'
A spokesman from Essex Police, said the force had received complaints of people making 'non-essential' journeys in the Rochford area last week.
The force said it had tweeted about the incident 'to remind the public of government guidelines re non-essential travel'.
However the a spokesperson said the post had later been deleted, adding: 'The tweet was issued in good faith but was later deleted to ensure the appropriate level of seriousness when sharing crucial partnership and safety messages about the pandemic.'
Meanwhile, one local council is now using drones to monitor a popular seafront amid concerns thousands have been flocking and flouting lockdown laws.
So many people have been visiting the waterfront at Southsea, Hants, it is said to make it difficult to adhere to social distancing guidelines.
Portsmouth City Council hired the drone to monitor footfall on the seafront and say footage obtained showed 'thousands' of people gathering along the front at the weekend.
Although most visitors are thought to be staying within their household bubbles, crowding and queuing outside coffee shops and takeaways has caused concern.
The leader of Portsmouth City Council, Liberal Democrat Gerald Vernon-Jackson, today said: 'There is a growing concern about how things are operating on the seafront.
'We hired a drone to get some footage at the weekend, so we can see what the numbers are actually like.
'When I have been out, people have been gathering around in groups at takeaways - so we have to make sure that's not happening, without hindering businesses in the process.'
Meanwhile, in Devon and Cornwall, police say they are using Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras to crack-down on lockdown breaking Britons.
The Chief Constable of Devon and Cornwall Police Shaun Sawyer said ANPR cameras across the region would be used to help enforce Covid-19 regulations.
Alongside the usual static cameras above and beside roads, police say that every officer has been given access to an ANPR app.
The app allows officers to access live information about the vehicles they pass.
Residents in the area have repeatedly called for action and hit out at out-of-area visitors who have flocked to the counties - famed for their beaches and numerous beauty spots - during all three national lockdowns.
Commissioner Alison Hernandez told the Falmouth Packet: 'Covid is spreading rapidly across the whole of the UK, not least because this new strain of the virus is far more contagious.
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In Devon and Cornwall, police say they are using Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras to crack-down on lockdown breaking Britons.
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Commissioner Alison Hernandez told the Falmouth Packet: 'Covid is spreading rapidly across the whole of the UK, not least because this new strain of the virus is far more contagious.'
What is a 'reasonable excuse' for going outside? And can police force their way into your house if they suspect rules are being broken?
Under the rules in England, you must not leave or be outside of your home except where you have a 'reasonable excuse'. This will be put in law.
The police can take action against you if you leave home without a 'reasonable excuse', and issue you with a fine (Fixed Penalty Notice).
You can be given a Fixed Penalty Notice of £200 for the first offence, doubling for further offences up to a maximum of £6,400.
A 'reasonable excuse' includes:
- Work - you can only leave home for work purposes where it is unreasonable for you to do your job from home
- Volunteering - you can also leave home to provide voluntary or charitable services
- Essential activities - you can leave home to buy things at shops or obtain services. You may also leave your home to do these things on behalf of a disabled or vulnerable person or someone self-isolating
- Education and childcare - you can only leave home for education, registered childcare, and supervised activities for children where they are eligible to attend.
- Meeting others and care - you can leave home to visit people in your support bubble ( if you are legally permitted to form one), to provide informal childcare for children under 14 as part of a childcare bubble (for example, to enable parents to work), to provide care for disabled or vulnerable people
- Exercise - you can continue to exercise alone, with one other person or with your household or support bubble, and not outside your local area. The Government advises you should only leave for exercise once a day, but the law does not put a limit on this.
- Medical reasons - you can leave home for a medical reason, including to get a COVID-19 test, for medical appointments and emergencies
- Harm and compassionate visits - you can leave home to be with someone who is giving birth, to avoid injury or illness or to escape risk of harm (such as domestic abuse).
- You can also leave home to visit someone who is dying or someone in a care home (if permitted under care home guidance), hospice, or hospital, or to accompany them to a medical appointment
- Animal welfare reasons – you can leave home for animal welfare reasons, such as to attend veterinary services for advice or treatment
- Communal worship and life events - You can leave home to attend or visit a place of worship for communal worship, a funeral or event related to a death, a burial ground or a remembrance garden, or to attend a wedding ceremony.
There are further reasonable excuses.
For example, you may leave home to fulfil legal obligations or to carry out activities related to buying, selling, letting or renting a residential property, or where it is reasonably necessary for voting in an election or referendum.
In Scotland, coronavirus legislation gives police the power to force entry into people's homes if they have a 'reasonable suspicion' rules are being broken.
However, in England, they can only enter in 'exceptional circumstances', which includes if they believe someone inside is infectious.
Otherwise, they will require a warrant. 'We need to be doing everything we possibly can to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
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The PM has come under pressure to increase the social distancing gap to stop the spread of coronavirus.
Leading members of the Sage scientific advisory panel want the measure raised from 'one metre plus' to 'two metres plus'.
Does lockdown really need to get tougher? Covid cases may have FINALLY started to level off because of third blanket shutdown
Coronavirus cases in Britain could be starting to level off because of the national lockdown, official data suggests as warnings grow that rules may have to get tougher.
The Department of Health announced another 46,169 positive coronavirus tests, the lowest figure since December 28.
The average number of cases, counted by the date on which the swab was taken, has now fallen for two days in a row, to 57,851 from a peak of 59,660 on Saturday.
Government officials warned that lockdown rules may have to get stricter if people don't follow them, amid fears that too many are 'flexing' the restrictions.
But there are signs lockdown is beginning to bring down the rate of infection.
Tier 4, however, did not appear to have the desired effect in London, the South East and East of England, where cases continued to rise in most areas despite the tough crackdown for two weeks over Christmas.
Only 11 out of 315 boroughs in England saw their infection rates come down in the first week of this year, up to January 5, Public Health England data shows – just 3.5 per cent.
An even stricter national lockdown, with everyone urged to work from home unless they can't, and schools across the country closed to most students, has taken the local restrictions' place and could be enforced for another six weeks or more. In practice this would change the limit to three metres – nearly 10ft. The drastic proposal came as a furious Matt Hancock denounced individuals who flout social distancing rules.
Speaking at a Downing Street press conference the Health Secretary said that he would 'not rule out further action if needed.'
He was backed by Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty, who sits on Sage and said it was time to 'double down' on Covid curbs – including outdoor contact.
Asked if a three-metre rule would be imposed in England, a Downing Street spokesman said last night: 'There are no current plans to change social distancing rules. However, everything is kept under review.'
The Mail has been told that several members of Sage say the lockdown needs to be even tougher than the first one in March last year.
The idea of a Chinese-style ban on residents leaving their homes was raised at one meeting.
Ministers are furious that some people have been using their right to daily exercise simply as an excuse to meet friends for a coffee in the park.
One source said: 'If it means limiting people to a single one-hour walk on their own once a week that is what we must do. We cannot let a few selfish idiots put the whole country in danger.'
It is feared that the failure to observe the restrictions is fuelling the number of deaths and risks hospitals becoming overwhelmed.
Increasing the social distancing rule to three metres is seen as one way of stopping the spread of the new variant of the virus, which can be passed on more easily.
Opponents of the move say it would have little impact, cause more confusion and be a logistical nightmare.
Two-metre signs have been painted on pavements across the nation, with similar notices found in tens of thousands of shops, factories, offices and public places.
Changing them all would add to the soaring cost of fighting the pandemic.
Supporters claim the benefit in saving lives and protecting the NHS means the move is worth it. They argue it is a response to the new variant which is thought to be up to be 70 per cent more transmissible.
If it goes ahead it would be the Government's third policy on social distancing.
The distance was set at two metres in March after experts said coronavirus was up to ten times more transmissible at one metre than at two.
But it was reduced to 'one metre plus' in July after the first lockdown – mainly to make it easier for restaurants and cafes to reopen.
A 'two metre plus' rule would in practice mean staying three metres apart – nearly 10ft – unless steps were taken to limit the danger of transmission, such as screens.