Thousands of fines handed out for Covid breaches

MORE than 6,000 fines have been issued to people across Wales for breaching coronavirus regulations this year, new figures have shown.

Figures released by the by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) have revealed that 6,351 fines were given out by all Welsh police forces between January 17 and April 18 this year.

It brings the total number of fines issued in Wales since the start of the pandemic to 10,580 meaning more fines have been given out in three months than in the entire period between March, 2020, and January, 2021.

South Wales Police is the force which has given out the most fines since the pandemic began with 4,615. Of those, 3,342 have been given out since January. North Wales Police has handed out 2,366 fines including 1,711 since January. Dyfed-Powys Police has given out 2,151 including 305 since January, and Gwent Police has given out 1,288 fines, 815 of which have been given since January.

In England 104,822 fines have been given out since the start of the pandemic. As with Wales, the majority of those were handed out between January 17 and April 18 this year (64,666).

Across both England and Wales, holding indoor private gatherings was the most common reason for being fined. In England this accounted for 29,817 fines (28.4%) while in Wales the figure was 3,366 (31%).

Other notable reasons for being fined in Wales including entering, leaving or remaining away from somewhere under restrictions without a reasonable excuse (2,117) and participating in a public gathering (520).

Less common reasons included leaving your home during a period of self-isolation (40) and failing to provide details to Track and Trace when asked to do so (1).

More than seven in ten fines handed out in both England and Wales were given to men, and just under half (47%) across both countries were given to people aged between 18 and 24. A further 17% were given to those between 25 and 29 and another 12% to those between 30 and 34.

Three fines were issued in Wales relating to holding a gathering of more than 30 people while five fines have been issued for failing to remain inside a premises during isolation after travelling.”

Chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, Martin Hewitt, said: “We’re continuing to take encouraging steps out of lockdown. The number of fines processed have gone down again in the past four weeks, which is to be expected as restrictions are lifted. All of our hard work and sacrifice is paying off, and to ensure we continue to move in this direction, it’s important we keep the threat of Covid-19 at the forefront of our minds and stick to the rules at each stage of the roadmap.”