Over 300 lockdown fines – but reports fall

MORE than 300 coronavirus lockdown fines have been issued across Greater Manchester, official figures have revealed.

But police chiefs have reported a marked drop in reports of breaches involving street parties or neighbourhood gatherings.

GMP also reported a sharp fall in cases of coronavirus lockdown laws being flouted related to shops and supermarkets.

The force has issued a total of 325 fixed penalty notices since lockdown began and new laws around gatherings came into force.

Police chiefs said the fall reflected the changes government has made to lockdown restrictions.

In late April, the M.E.N. reported GMP had issued 171 fines. The youngest person to receive a fine was 18 and the oldest 52.

On one occasion, GMP said officers stopped and fined four young men who had travelled into Manchester from Yorkshire to buy burgers.

The force also admitted house parties were posing ‘a particular challenge’.

Updated figures were published by the National Police Chiefs Council.

And GMP revealed reported incidents of street parties or neighbourhood gatherings in breach of guidelines fell by 84 per cent over the last week alone.

Chris Sykes, Assistant Chief Constable for GMP, said: “The reduction in the number of FPNs we’ve needed to issue reflects a number of developments in the past two weeks that encompass the changes in government guidance, the quantity of reports we’ve received and the continuing emphasis on personal responsibility for maintaining social distancing.

“I’d like to thank the public for their understanding.

“In the overwhelming majority of incidents we’ve responded to since the start of the pandemic, members of the public have engaged with officers while they have explained the importance of following government guidance.”