Almost 2,000 fines issued for breaching coronavirus guidelines

  • Anglia
NPCC figures

New figures show that almost 2,000 fines have been issued by police forces across the region for breaching government regulations relating to Covid-19.

Under the government lockdown regulations, people are told they can only leave their homes for one of four main reasons.

  • Shopping for basic necessities (food and medicine)

  • One form of exercise a day, for example a run, walk, or cycle - alone or with members of your household

  • Any medical need, including to donate blood, avoid or escape risk of injury or harm, or to provide care or to help a vulnerable person

  • Travelling for work purposes, but only where you cannot work from home

The police were given powers to enforce the regulations on the 26th March.

Under the new powers the government have said if people do not comply with the regulations, police can:

  • Ask people to go home, leave an area or disperse

  • Ensure parents are taking necessary steps to stop their children breaking the rules

  • For breaching the rules they can also issue a fixed penalty notice of £60, which will be lowered to £30 if paid within 14 days

  • Or issue a fixed penalty notice of £120 for second time offenders, doubling on each further repeat offence

New figures for the period Friday 27 March to Monday 27 April show 8,877 Fixed Penalty Notices were recorded by forces in England for breaches of government public health regulations.

The regional breakdown is as follows:

  • Thames Valley (which covers MIlton Keynes) - 649

  • Norfolk - 227

  • Bedfordshire - 215

  • Northamptonshire - 198

  • Hertfordshire - 189

  • Suffolk - 187

  • Essex - 111

  • Cambridgeshire - 87

The Thames Valley force had issued the most fines in the country, the Metropolitan Police were second having issued 634, while Lancashire was third with 633. Warwickshire had issued the fewest.

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