How many times do we need to tell people the rules?
POLICE CHIEF URGES 18 - 24S TO BE RESPONSIBLE
POLICE continue to have busy nights dealing with people who have breached Covid-19 regulations - including dealing with two separate house parties on Thursday.
Leicestershire Police’s chief constable Simon Cole said that his officers had issued half a dozen tickets overnight on Thursday last week to people flouting the rules.
Mr Cole has outlined some of the latest offences while again urging people - particularly those aged 18 to 24 - to follow the rules designed to stop infections spreading.
Infection rates have been soaring in the city and county despite the second national lockdown, which is due to end on December 2.
The chief constable joined other leading figures yesterday in calling on people to obey the laws and stick to public health advice on social distancing and not mixing between households.
Mr Cole said: “In recent days I have had someone tell some of my officers that they were unaware there was a national lockdown, which I am not sure they believed.
“That person now has a ticket. “Overnight, we have given out another half-a-dozen tickets.
“A couple of those are to people who seem to have had a party - we came across two separate parties.
“Someone else was driving around with five people from different households in their vehicle.”
He also told of police dealing with someone with whom they had already spoken about breaching lockdown - and they have breached it again.
Police officers called out to a report of a burglary in Fleckney ended up handing out fines for Covid-19 breaches instead.
Officers went to investigate after a caller told them a break-in might be happening in School Street.
The police arrived to find no burglary in place but a number of youths gathered in the area.
“However two of the youths were issued with fixed penalty notices under the current health regulations for gathering in a group of more than two people in an outdoor place.”
The force also revealed that 17 of its officers have been assaulted in Covid-related incidents, involving spitting or deliberate coughing, since the start of lockdown.
Mr Cole added: “We will engage, we will explain, we will encourage and we will enforce, but we have changed our threshold because how many times do we need to advise people about what the rules are?
“We are finding there are a set of people who are breaching them.
“There was one individual who has now had four tickets from us for breaching Covid regulations.
“People can’t say they don’t know they are there.”
Mr Cole said his force had received 16,000 reports across the months about lockdown breaches.
He said: “We have done 1,200 visits to licensed premises and issued the best part of 600 tickets to offenders.”
He said eight of the maximum £10,000 fines had been issued. They were:
■ 25 September - At the Gate Hangs Well Public House in Syston, Leicester. The licensee who was in charge at the time was fined after a group of around 300 people attended an event at the premises.
■ 27 September - A man and a woman were both fined for holding a house party involving more than 30 people at an address in Colton Street in the city. Advice and guidance had previously been issued at the property in relation to breaching regulations.
■ 28 September - Church Street, Leicester, a fine was issued to the organiser of a house party where more than 30 people were found to be in attendance.
■ 11 October - Again, a fine was issued to the organiser of a house party involving more than 30 people at an address in Atkins Street, Leicester.
■ 13 October - The owner of a premises in Ashby Square in Loughborough was fined, along with the event organiser, after 150 people attended an event.
■ 13 October - The owner of a premises in Granby Street, Leicester, was fined following a music event (officers linked this incident to the event in Ashby Square, Loughborough).
Mr Cole added: “About a third of our tickets have been issued to people between the ages of 18 and 24.
“While we have seen huge compliance with the rules and guidance over months, I would invite people aged 18 to 24 just to reflect, engage with the laws and listen to the health advice.”