A Full English lockdown: Met Police probe officers spotted 'flouting' Covid curbs INSIDE London café
Met police officers who were spotted ‘flouting’ Covid rules by tucking into breakfast INSIDE London café en masse face investigation – despite cracking down harder on public who break rules
- A passer-by caught squad cars outside Chef House Kitchen in south east London
- Brian Jennings, 44, regularly walks past the cafe, near the Greenwich Patrol Base
- IT manager said he was annoyed after reading about the tough police crackdown
The Metropolitan Police has launched a probe into officers spotted ‘flouting’ coronavirus curbs by tucking into breakfast inside a London café.
A passer-by caught several squad cars outside The Chef House Kitchen while servicemen sat inside at 9am, despite a ban on gatherings and table service.
Brian Jennings, 44, regularly walks past the cafe, near the Greenwich Patrol Base in south east London for exercise and saw them sitting inside eating.
The IT manager from Blackheath said he was outraged by the site after reading of members of the public who fined for going for a walk with a coffee.
A passer-by caught several squad cars outside The Chef House Kitchen while officers sat inside at 9am, despite a ban on gatherings and table service
Brian Jennings, 44, regularly walks past the cafe, near the Greenwich Patrol Base in south east London for exercise and saw them sitting inside eating
He said: ‘There’s a large police depot on the Thames riverside near me. I walk past it a few times a week because it’s a nice quiet place to take exercise.
‘On the neighbouring industrial estate there’s a cafe. We noticed in the first lockdown and then we noticed it again today that, regularly, first thing in the morning there will be half a dozen squad cars outside and every table full of police officers having breakfast in there.
‘It’s not a one off it’s been going on for a few months. You read about people getting fined in the papers and it seems hypocritical as there [looks like there is little] social distancing in the cafe.
It comes after police have cracked down harder on rule breaking. Pictured: Kensington Palace Gardens in London
‘It’s a public cafe and it’s open and its serving table service in lockdown – it is not good.
‘It’s about as bad as it gets in the UK with a virus and it’s insensitive and stupid. I think it’s really bad.’
He added: ‘I find the regular, continued flouting of social distancing, and lockdown regulations by the police hypocritical and foolish at this time when the infection rates in Greenwich Borough are among the highest in the UK.’
The Met Police are looking into allegations and said it is attempting to ‘find out more information’.
The force said: ‘We are aware of the images and work is ongoing to find out more information.’
The Chef House Kitchen has been approached for comment.
