Total fines for Covid breaches now top 30,000

MORE THAN 30,000 fines have been handed out by police for breaches of Covid- 19 laws since they came into force last spring, figures show.

Data from the National Police Chiefs Council yesterday showed a total of 32,329 fixed- penalty notices were issued by forces in England and Wales between March 27 and December 21 last year.

The report said there had been a downward trend in recent weeks following a rise in fines as restrictions were tightened from September, with the peak of 3,288 coming during the week of the Easter Bank Holiday in April.

The most recent weekly figures showed 542 tickets were handed out in the week to December 17, compared with 821 in the previous seven days.

For face coverings, the figures showed a total of 958 fines were issued between June 15 and December 20, including 199 on public transport – an average of seven a week.

The remaining 759 were handed out in relevant places such as shops.

The weekly number rose sharply to 78 between October 2 and 8, remaining at a similar level until late November, when it began to decline, with 33 fines issued in the most recent full week to December 17.

Some 6,475 fines were issued during England’s second national lockdown in November, according to the data.

The breakdown within Yorkshire is 169 issued by Humberside Police, 1,484 in North Yorkshire, 673 in South Yorkshire and 1,061 in South Yorkshire.

Fines in North Yorkshire were concentrated in popular tourist destinations.

National Police Chiefs Council chairman Martin Hewitt said: “Enforcement doesn’t and shouldn’t always equal police involvement or the issuance of a fixed- penalty notice.

“It is right for officers to be inquisitive about why individuals may be away from home.

“Those who blatantly ignore the regulations should expect to receive a fixed- penalty notice and we’ ll target our resources towards those who commit the most serious breaches and put others at risk through their behaviour.”