Police issue 279 fixed penalty notices and make 53 arrests in connection to coronavirus pandemic

More than 270 fixed penalty notices have now been issued by police to people flouting coronavirus legislation in Greater Manchester, it has been revealed.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Greater Manchester Police have so far issued 279 fixed penalty notices (FPNs), with 81 per cent given to men and 19 per cent to women.

More than 50 arrests have also been made in relation to the outbreak.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Assistant Chief Constable Chris Sykes said that while the majority of people were following the rules imposed during the pandemic, there were still "a minority" who broke them.

Police have made 53 arrests in relation to Covid-19Police have made 53 arrests in relation to Covid-19
Police have made 53 arrests in relation to Covid-19

He said: "On one occasion two men were stopped by officers on patrol and stated they had driven from Birmingham to get a milkshake. Six FPNs were also issued in Bolton following a house party, where a group refused to engage with officers.

“However, a priority for us has always been striking the right balance between enforcement and engagement and we will continue with this approach. It is vital that we engage with our communities and explain the current circumstances – we are living in extremely difficult times and our overall aim is to continue to encourage and support our communities to comply fully with the restrictions.

“In line with this engagement-first approach we have been working closely with partner agencies across the region. Partners include local authorities, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, housing associations and trading standards, and by working with them we have been able to deal with breaches via different means, as opposed to issuing FPNs. A recent example would be in an injunction served in Manchester where there were repeated reports of breaching Covid-19 legislation.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"In more serious circumstances, officers have made arrests. A total of 53 arrests have been made since lockdown began in relation to Covid-19 and there have been instances where emergency service workers have been spat at, coughed at and assaulted.

“House parties and social gatherings continue to be a challenge for us in Greater Manchester, but my message to anyone who is continuing to wilfully flout the government guidance remains clear – your selfishness is putting people’s lives at risk. However, there are over 2.9m people in Greater Manchester and we know that the majority of you are sticking to the guidance and making important sacrifices. You have a lot to be proud of in these difficult times and we want to sincerely thank you for all that you are doing."

The force will work closely with the National Police Chief's Council to see what effect the changes to restrictions made by the Government earlier this week will have on policing, he said.

Assistant Chief Constable Sykes said: "Here in Greater Manchester, our approach will be to continue to engage with our communities and explain the importance of following the guidance. As part of this engagement we will continue to encourage people to comply with it and do the right thing. We will only enforce as a last resort– taking into consideration the fundamental principle of proportionality.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We are in unchartered territory when it comes to policing within this pandemic and I hope that the public recognise the challenges faced by police forces in the current situation. It is important that we stress that the police’s role is to enforce the law, rather than the guidance. Though no matter what, our priority will always be to protect our communities and the support of the public means a lot to my officers who regularly put themselves at risk to help others.

“More than anything, we understand that this is a particularly difficult time for people and a lot of us are missing those who mean the most to us. This being said, we have to continue to approach this cautiously and with the most vulnerable of our society in mind. Our actions have consequences and we will only overcome this by joining together.”

A message from the Editorial Director, Gillian Parkinson:

Thank you for reading this story on our website.

But I also have an urgent plea to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality local news on this free-to-read site and in print, please purchase a copy of our newspaper as well.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on our town centres and many of our valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you buying a copy when you pop out for your essential shop or subscribing for delivery.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Our journalists are highly trained by the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards anywhere in the world. Our content is universally trusted - as all independent research proves.

As Baroness Barran said in a House of Lords debate this week on the importance of journalists: "Not only are they a trusted source of facts, but they will have a role to play in rallying communities and getting the message across about how we can keep ourselves and our families safe, and protect our NHS. Undoubtedly, they have a critical role."

But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis. In return we will continue to forensically cover the local news - not only the impact of the virus but all the positive and uplifting news happening in these dark days.

We thank all our readers and advertisers for their understanding and support - and we wish YOU all the best in the coming weeks. Keep safe, and follow the Government advice. Thank you.

HOW TO SUBSCRIBE:

You can subscribe for delivery by contacting us at [email protected] or calling us on 0330 4033004 for details of a participating newsagent near you.