No fixed penalty notices issued as Swindon and Wiltshire move into Tier 2 Covid restrictions

People across Swindon and Wiltshire are being thanked for their cooperation during the first week of the new Tier 2 restrictions.

Last Wednesday, we moved out of national lockdown and into a new set of restrictions which has allowed people to visit non-essential shops, pubs and restaurants.

No fixed penalty notices were issued over the past week and, although we had extra officers out on patrol over the weekend, we were pleased to see the vast majority of people adhering to the new rules.

Between 30/11 and 06/12 Wiltshire Police:

• Issued zero FPNs. Since the beginning of the pandemic we have issued 246 FPNs.
• Issued 22 verbal warnings to members of the public.
• Logged 112 reports of potential breaches of the restrictions, which were reported either over the phone or online.
• Recorded three Covid-related crimes and three Covid-related incidents.

Deputy Chief Constable Paul Mills thanked the public for their ongoing support with regards to the Government’s restrictions.

He said: "Last week we moved out of national lockdown and into the Tier 2 restrictions and, in anticipation of the pubs and restaurants reopening, we ensured we had extra resources working across the weekend.

"Our experience is that the vast majority of people have understood the new rules, and, although we had to give a number of verbal warnings, we did not issue any fixed penalty notices.

"One thing I would like to make people aware of is how busy many of our town and city centres were during the day time over the weekend.

"Naturally, many of us are keen to take advantage of the shops reopening and catch up with some Christmas shopping, and I know local businesses will be pleased by this extra footfall.

"However, we must all take personal responsibility for making sure this is done safely. Please ensure you are following the social distancing rules, especially when queuing, wearing a face covering when you are inside shops and other public buildings, and using hand sanitiser regularly.

"Everyone is keen to keep the infection rate as low as possible during the build up to Christmas, so we must all play our part in keeping everyone safe."

Keeping Christmas Kind

Police and Crime Commissioner Angus Macpherson added: "As I raised last week, the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners has been running a Keeping Christmas Kind campaign, highlighting the increased abuse and violence that staff in our retail sector have been subjected to during the pandemic.

"As our shops get busier in the build up to Christmas, we all need to behave responsibly.

"Not only do we need to show courtesy to those working behind the tills and on our shop floors, but we also need to show courtesy to fellow shoppers. If you are planning on hitting the high street for some Christmas shopping, then please remember the Hands, Face, Space messaging."