More than 300 fines issued by Greater Manchester Police for people breaking coronavirus rules

An independent review of the notices (FPNs) issued by UK police forces showed the numbers varied across the country, with GMP found to have one of the lowest rates per population.

But there were differences across gender, age and ethnicity, with men, young people and those from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds more likely to receive a fine.

Police in the county recorded 2,591 interactions with people about potential breaches of the Covid-19 regulations.

They aimed to engage with the public, explain the guidelines and encourage people to comply, before using enforcement as a last resort.

This meant officers used their discretion and did not issue an FPN in 88 per cent of cases.

Most of the notices were given during the strict lockdown period, when restrictions on movement were contravened, with the last issued on May 27.

A total of 261 FPNs (85.5 per cent) were given to males.

Young men and women were significantly over-represented, with those aged 18 to 24 receiving 48 per cent of the total number of FPNs.

The rate of FPNs issued to people identifying as being from a BAME background sits at around 1.8 per 10,000 population, compared to one per 10,000 population for those who identify as white. In total 143 notices were issued to people from a BAME background - 41 (28 per cent )of which were issued to visitors from outside Greater Manchester.

The force says that analysis of the data shows that at a very local level, the number of FPNs issued reflects the resident population in the areas where the notices were given.

Assistant Chief Constable Rob Potts said: “We welcome the publishing of this report and the opportunity to review our approach to ensuring compliance with the coronavirus legislation throughout the pandemic so far.

“We police by consent in Greater Manchester so it is important to us that we are able to take stock of the findings of this report before considering what we can do to improve the service we provide to the public. I want to assure the public that we will not be complacent and any disparity that has been highlighted will be examined to see if any changes to our approach are needed.

“I believe the low rate of FPNs issued in Greater Manchester is reflective of our commitment to engaging with the public first and only using enforcement as a last resort.

“A large number of the FPNs issued were done so during the lockdown period when the weather improved, which notably saw more house parties and other large gatherings taking place, thereby resulting in more notices being issued. One particular incident in May saw officers called to a large party at an Air B'n'B in Shudehill where 16 FPNs were issued.

“A number of the FPNs were also issued during targeted operations that took place during the Covid pandemic. Working with partners, GMP ran two policing operations in the City of Manchester to tackle anti-social behaviour which had an impact on the number of notices issued.

“In addition to outlining the police approach to enforcement, these figures also show that the people of Greater Manchester have been overwhelmingly compliant with the guidelines and I think that should be acknowledged. The support for the work of the emergency services has been crucial for us throughout this pandemic and I want to thank the public for that.”

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