Lockdown breach fines fall significantly as restrictions ease

Nearly 17,000 fines for alleged breaches of rules have been issued by police in England and Wales.

The provisional data from the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) shows a total of 16,947 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) were recorded by forces up to May 25, including 15,552 in England and 1,395 in Wales,

There were 1,019 issued in England during the latest two-week period, between May 12 and 25 – although the figure is likely to be revised upwards as more fines are reported – compared with 4,967 during the previous fortnight. The most fines during this period were given on Tuesday May 12 (178), the day before measures eased in England.

The NPCC said FPNs have been given to people for driving with others who are not members of their household, house parties, large gatherings and camping, since restrictions were relaxed.

NPCC chair Martin Hewitt said: “As restrictions are carefully eased, the public have been able to go about their business in greater numbers, and with greater flexibility.

“The collective public effort over the past two months has meant police officers have only rarely had to step in to enforce regulations and even less so in the past few weeks. I am confident the vast majority will continue to act responsibly. We will be issuing guidance to officers on how to approach new changes to the regulations in the coming days.

“The overarching aim of the police response has always been to keep people as safe as possible, and encourage them to follow the regulations, thereby reducing the transmission of the virus. We will continue to play our part and are grateful for all of the positive engagement we have had with the public to date.”

Government public health regulations introduced on March 27 to prevent the spread of coronavirus enabled officers to issue individuals with fines if they failed to comply after officers have engaged with them, explained the risks to public health and encouraged voluntary compliance.

From Wednesday May 13, the minimum fine in England increased from £60 to £100, reducing if paid within 14 days. The upper limit for fines also increased from £960 to £3,200.

Police forces have worked closely with the NPCC to be as transparent as possible in how they have used these new powers. Statistical collection for matters relating to Covid-19 are still developing and are not subject to the same stringent analysis and quality assurance that is possible with an established official statistics collection, said the NPCC.

The majority of fines continue to be issued to males in the 18 to 24 age group. Fines have been more likely to be given at weekends, taking in to account the recent bank holiday weekends, and during periods of warmer weather.

“Throughout this pandemic, officers have only enforced as a last resort and have taken a common sense approach, applying their discretion and judgment when engaging with the public,” said Mr Hewitt.