People who repeatedly flout coronavirus distancing laws face fines of up to £960.
Members of the public who break lockdown rules will be breaking the law and can be arrested as part of new enforcement powers announced by the Home Office.
Officers can also tell them to go home, leave or disperse an area and ensure parents are taking necessary steps to stop their children breaking the law.
Those who refuse to comply could be issued with a fixed penalty notice of £60, which will be lowered to £30 if paid within 14 days.
Second-time offenders could be issued a fixed penalty notice of £120, doubling on each further repeat offence up to a maximum of £960.
Those who do not pay the penalty can be taken to court, with magistrates able to impose unlimited fines.
Failure to give your name and address to a police officer will be an arrestable offence under the new powers.
The new powers also list the reasons people can leave their home without fear of being fined.
They include:
- Obtaining basic necessities, including food, pet supplies and medical supplies. Also includes supplies for the essential upkeep and maintenance of the household.
- To take exercise
- To seek medical assistance
- To provide care or assistance to a vulnerable person
- To donate blood
- To travel for work or to provide voluntary or charitable services, if it's not reasonably possible to work from home
- To attend a funeral of a member of the person's household or a close family member - or a friend if they do not have anyone in their household or family who can attend
To attend court or satisfy bail conditions or participate in legal proceedings
Announcing the new enforcement powers, Home Secretary Priti Patel said: "The Prime Minister has been clear on what we need to do: stay at home to protect our NHS and save lives."
She added: "All our frontline services really are the best of us and are doing an incredible job to stop this terrible virus from spreading.
"That's why I'm giving the police these new enforcement powers, to protect the public and keep people safe."
