Kentish Express Ashford & District
More people are fined for flouting lockdown orders
A further 53 people in Kent have been issued with a fine for breaking lockdown rules during the coronavirus pandemic.
The £60 penalty notices were handed out by Kent Police in the two weeks leading up to April 27.
This means the total number of people who have been fined in the county for ignoring social distancing guidelines stands at 106, after we reported two weeks ago that 53 people had been fined between March 27 and April 13.
On March 26, the government announced new public health regulations to reduce the spread of Covid-19.
The measures entitled officers to issue £60 fines to those refusing to comply after officers explained to them why following the rules is important.
And since then a total of 8,877 fines have been handed out across England to people under the new Coronavirus Act.
A further 299 fines have been issued in Wales.
Under lockdown rules you should only leave the house for essential reasons including work, food shopping, delivering supplies to vulnerable people or exercise in your local area.
National Police Chiefs’ Council chairman Martin Hewitt said: “As the latest provisional figures on the number of fines issued show, the vast majority of people continue to do the right thing, staying at home in order to protect the NHS and save lives. The figures also show our use of the enforcement powers remains proportionate with just 0.02% of the population in England being issued with a fine.
“I want to thank people for continuing to follow the regulations - I recognise it’s not easy and that this is a challenging time for us all.
“Our approach - of engage, explain and encourage, and only as a last resort, enforce - will continue. It is working.”
In England, 82% of the fines were given to men and 15% to women, with 3% unknown.
And 36% of the fines were issued to those aged 18-24, with 31% going to those aged 25-34.
It comes as police are reporting an overall reduction in crime across Kent since the pandemic