The army could be deployed to Merseyside to help combat the rising rate of coronavirus cases.
Boris Johnson said last month that the Government would not hesitate to use the army to help free up police time to enforce Covid-19 rules.
When announcing the then new measures on September 22, the Prime Minister warned: “We need to suppress the virus now, and as for that minority who may continue to flout the rules, we will enforce those rules with tougher penalties and fines of up to £10,000.
“We will put more police out on the streets and use the army to backfill if necessary.”
In his address to the House of Commons, Boris Johnson said: “We will provide the police and local authorities with the extra funding they need – a greater presence on our streets and the option to draw military support where required to free up the police.”
In a joint statement released today Steve Rotheram, mayor of the Liverpool city region, and other local leaders said they “welcome the opportunity” to engage “logistics and capacity support” from the Armed Forces.
A No10 spokesman previously explained the roles army might take up to the Mirror.
They said: “To further free up the police to have a greater presence on our streets they will have the option to draw on military support, where required, using tried and tested mechanisms.
“This would involve the military backfilling certain duties, such as office roles and guarding protected sites, so police officers can be out enforcing the virus response.
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“This is not about providing any additional powers to the military, or them replacing the police in enforcement roles, and they will not be handing out fines. It is about freeing up more police officers.”
