Police in North Wales have handed out over 950 fines for Covid breaches during latest lockdown

Officers from North Wales Police have handed over 950 fines to people breaching lockdown restrictions in the past three months.

Latest provisional figures released by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) show that more Fixed Penalty Notices (FPN’s) were handed in North Wales during the latest alert level 4 restrictions which came into force just before Christmas, then the previous eight months.

Between December 20 last year and March 14, a total of 955 FPN’s have handed out to people for breaking Covid restrictions in North Wales.

By contrast, between March and December 19 last year 658 breaches of coronavirus regulations.

Three FPN’s relating to the holding a gathering of more than thirty people were handed out in North Wales resulting in fines of £10,000 each.

Across Wales the total number of people who have been issued with FPN’s since the start of the Pandemic stands at 8,393.

In total, 94,368 FPN have been recorded as having been issued in England and Wales between Friday 27th March 2020 and Sunday 14
th March 2021.

Chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, Martin Hewitt, said: “While it is encouraging to see that the number of fines processed in the last month has decreased, a small number of people continue to defy the rules, putting themselves and other at risk of the virus.

“It is particularly frustrating to see the groups of selfish and irresponsible people organising and attending illegal parties and unlicenced music events – they clearly have no regard for the rules and we move quickly to enforcement in these cases.

“Looking ahead as restrictions start to ease, we will be focusing our efforts on these types of large indoor gatherings.

“Any person who organises or attends these events clearly doesn’t need the regulations explaining to them and we will not hesitate to issue fines where necessary.

“As the rules change in the coming days, weeks and months, we can expect crime, including violent crime, to return to pre-lockdown levels.

“All forces have robust plans in place to deal with violence and clamp down on violent offenders.

“The national operation to target people carrying weapons will run again this spring.

“The government’s roadmap dates for coming out of lockdown does give people hope and some light at the end of the tunnel, but we cannot become complacent.

“It is vital people continue to follow the rules at each stage when restrictions are eased. Otherwise, we risk undermining our efforts up to now.

“Our officers will be more visible at key dates in the roadmap, to engage with public and keep explaining the restrictions which remain in place at the time, and we hope the public will continue to support us in our efforts to prevent the further spread of the virus.”