Fans who gather outside Anfield stadium for tonight's trophy lift risk being issued with fixed penalty notices and in extreme cases arrest, according to guidelines issued to police.
The police approach to any such illegal mass gathering is to "engage, explain, encourage, and only as a last resort enforce."
The enforcement options include: directing the gathering to disperse; direct any person in the gathering to return to the place where they are living; and remove any person from the gathering.
Officers may use "reasonable force", if necessary, in exercising this power.
Anyone contravening these requirements commits an offence, punishable on summary conviction by a fixed penalty notice (FPN).
Where someone is believed to have committed an offence under these regulations and is 18 or over, they may be issued with an FPN for £100 payable within 28 days (reduced to £50 if paid within 14 days).
Court proceedings may be brought in cases of non-payment.
Arrests can be made to maintain public health and to maintain public order.
Merseyside Police, Liverpool City Council, Liverpool FC and supporters group Spirit of Shankly have already made a unified plea for fans to watch the historic moment of the Premier League trophy being lifted from the safety of their own homes, amidst fears about a rise in coronavirus cases and a potential further lockdown.
This call was further backed up by Merseyside's top cop Andy Cooke, who told a Liverpool FC press conference that a full policing operation will be in place at the ground tonight, with officers taking action if people fail to adhere to social distancing regulations and potentially put other members of the public at risk.
The guidance states:
Anyone contravening these requirements commits an offence, punishable on summary conviction by a fixed penalty notice.
Where someone is believed to have committed an offence under these regulations and is 18 or over, you may issue them with an FPN for £100 payable within 28 days, but this is reduced to £50 if paid within 14 days.
Court proceedings may be brought in cases of non-payment.
The fine amounts double for each subsequent offence, up to £3,200 for the sixth and subsequent offences.
