Almost 60 fines issued for lockdown breaches over past week

Almost 60 fines were issued to people breaching the national lockdown rules during the past week.

Officers were called to a number of indoor and outdoor gatherings across the county, including a house party in Swindon which resulted in 23 people being issued with fixed penalty notices.

We are continuing to remind people of the importance of the rules to help slow the spread of Covid-19.

The latest figures show that between 25/01 and 31/01 Wiltshire Police:

• Issued 58 fixed penalty notices. This brings the overall total to 433.
• Issued 87 formal warnings to people for failing to adhere to the Government rules. None of these were issued to business not complying.
• Recorded two interactions/engagement.
• Recorded 292 reports from members of the public, either via the phone or using our online reporting tool.
• Recorded eight Covid-related crimes and 24 Covid-related incidents.

Deputy Chief Constable Paul Mills said that there had been additional officers out on patrol over the weekend as part of the forces response to policing the pandemic.

He said: "This week has seen our officers and staff issue the highest number of FPN’s in a single week since the start of the pandemic.

"Whilst we are grateful to the vast majority of the public for their continuing sacrifices to comply with the regulations and guidance to help keep our communities safe, we still continue to see a small minority who do not believe that the guidance applies to them.

"This week we have responded to a large house party in a dwelling and other incidents of people gathering in groups.

"In these circumstances, the public rightly expect that we will move to enforcement at an early stage, as these types of incidences pose a heath threat to not only those who attend or gather but also the wider community.

"I’m pleased to say that the vast majority of people are continuing to adhere to the rules, but we will not be complacent and ensure we carry on being vigilant so we can deal with any emerging issues swiftly."

Towards the end of last week the National Police Chiefs’ Council released its latest data on crime trends and FPN figures during the Covid-19 pandemic. You can read the full update here.

Here in Wiltshire we have released our latest summary report, which covers the period between 31 December 2020 and 26 January 2021. You can read it here.

Wiltshire Police and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner continues to oversee the regular meeting of a scrutiny panel, which reviews all FPNs issued in Wiltshire and Swindon to ensure they are lawful and proportionate.

It also analyses the age, gender and ethnicity of the people receiving FPNs to make sure no particular group is disproportionately impacted.

So far since the start of the pandemic we have rescinded 25 FPNs.

Police and Crime Commissioner Angus Macpherson said: "Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic we have recognised the importance of being transparent and ensuring we keep the public informed about our policing and the enforcement of the Government’s restrictions.

"Our scrutiny panel has a vital role to play in assessing every single FPN issued to ensure that we are using these new powers in a fair and legal way.

"I am pleased to see that this system is working well and that the vast majority of fines issued have been upheld, showing that our police officers have a good understanding of the regulations and the processes in place to enforce the rules."