Greater Manchester Police have issued 171 fixed penalty notices for breaching Covid-19 legislation.
Across England and Wales more than 9,000 fines have been handed to people.They were given powers to hand out a £60 penalty, that is reduced to £30 if paid within two weeks, for breaches of the government’s restriction of movement rules.
Assistant Chief Constable Chris Sykes, of Greater Manchester Police, said: “Today the NPCC has released updated figures on the amount of Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) issued by every force for instances whereby there has been a breach of COVID-19 legislation.
“As these enforcement figures are being released today, it is important that we stress that the vast majority of people are adhering to the guidelines. These people are ultimately saving people’s lives and we want to sincerely thank those who are following the guidance, as we recognise that we are living in unprecedented and hugely difficult times. However, there are a minority of people who are continuing to ignore the guidelines and putting others at risk. In these circumstances, the priority for us has always been to strike a balance between engagement and enforcement. We have taken a common sense approach, taking into consideration the principle of proportionality.
“So far Greater Manchester Police has issued 171 FPNs for breaching government guidelines – the youngest person to receive one was 18 and the oldest was 52 years old. All police forces are dealing with a unique and different set of challenges when it comes to enforcement, and here our approach has always been to engage with members of our communities first and foremost. Within this engagement, we have been explaining the importance of the government guidelines in protecting people and encouraging people to do the right thing and follow this guidance. We will only move to an enforcement phase if absolutely necessary.
“We can see that 50% of the FPNs have been issued to men aged between 18-24; and while we have not seen an influx of visitors like other areas, we have issued seven notices to people travelling into Greater Manchester. On one occasion officers stopped four young men who had travelled from Yorkshire to get a burger. We have also seen a dedicated patrol plan in place in Piccadilly Gardens, where 11 FPNs have been issued.
“However, in line with our engagement-first approach we have been working closely with partner agencies to address issues that have arisen throughout the region and only enforce as a last resort. This includes local authorities, Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), Housing Associations, Trading Standards and other emergency services. For example, essential businesses have been contacted to ensure they are adhering to social distancing measures.
“Here in Greater Manchester, a particular challenge has been around house parties. For this reason, I think it’s important for the public to recognise that the emergency COVID-19 legislation is designed to deal with breaches in public spaces and therefore the use of FPNs in dwellings is somewhat limited in this setting. This being said, we have been able to work in partnership with other agencies and use different strategies to deal with this type of breach. For example, where there have been repeated reports of parties at housing association properties, we have been able to work closely with the relevant housing association which has been able to assist. An example to note would be an injunction issued in Manchester in response to a house party. In another instance, officers in Tameside used anti-social behaviour powers rather than FNPs to invoke a closure notice after there had been repeated breaches.
“In other circumstances, and where our officers have been met with more serious behaviour, we have arrested offenders instead of issuing FPNs. Thankfully though, the majority of people are following government guidelines and we are grateful to everyone for sacrificing their time with loved ones during this incredibly difficult time in order to protect the public and prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“We understand that this isn’t easy and that the current situation is a challenge for us all. However, I would ask that people stick with us and continue to follow the government guidance to stay home, protect the NHS and ultimately save lives. By working together, we will overcome this.”
