PSNI issues 107 fines for Covid-19 lockdown breaches

More than 100 people were fined by the PSNI over the Easter weekend for breaching new Covid-19 social distancing regulations.
By Mark Rainey
Published 13th Apr 2020, 14:16 BST
PSNI conducting a major traffic operation on the main A26 to the north coast on Good Friday. Pic: Steven McAuley/McAuley MultimediaPSNI conducting a major traffic operation on the main A26 to the north coast on Good Friday. Pic: Steven McAuley/McAuley Multimedia
PSNI conducting a major traffic operation on the main A26 to the north coast on Good Friday. Pic: Steven McAuley/McAuley Multimedia

Police said they intervened to break up house parties, barbecues and children’s play dates over a three-day period.

Assistant Chief Constable Alan Todd said that while the vast majority of people had complied with the temporary restrictions placed on their movement, some gatherings visited by officers involved more than 20 people congregating.

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Yesterday morning, ACC Todd said that a “significant deployment” of police would continue throughout Easter Monday and Easter Tuesday.

The senior officer said 107 monetary penalties were issued to individuals “who should not have been where they were” and who “wouldn’t listen to the advice of officers when it was given”.

He did, however, say that around 90% of the general public in Northern Ireland had complied with the new regulations.

Speaking on the BBC’s Good Morning Ulster programme, he said an additional 120 PSNI crews were being deployed during the Easter break.

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Until the restrictions are relaxed or lifted altogether, people are being urged to stay at home and to venture out only if they have a “reasonable excuse” – such as shopping for basic necessities, healthcare, exercise and essential travel to or from a place of work.

Thousands of fines have also been handed out by police in other UK regions.

In the run up to the Easter weekend, police in England and Wales were issuing 80 fines a day on average, with some legal experts warning that the police clampdown could backfire due to an “authoritarian” enforcement approach.

Lockdown breaches have also been reported around the world.

In Australia, news outlets are reporting that Queensland police have issued fines totalling 800,000 dollars (£400k), with a fines totalling 200,000 dollars (£100k) handed out in Sydney over the weekend.

They have also been reports of anti-lockdown protests in Vancouver, Canada after police handed out fines to people venturing out in the city.