Just 13 Wiltshire covid fines issued in last month

Wiltshire Police have announced the latest details of covid-related Fixed Penalty Notices. 

Only 13 were issued over the past month as lockdown restrictions continue to ease.
The force says it has focused on engagement with communities and primarily issued fines to those causing the greatest risk to public health, including at gatherings indoors.
One example of this, it says, was on 9 April when eight people, aged between 19 and 28, were fined over a house party in Lennox Drive, Swindon.
Officers were called to the property at around 11.30pm and found loud music playing, with various people hidden throughout the property and others having jumped out of windows before the police got inside.
Deputy Chief Constable Paul Mills said: “As we approach the next milestone in the Government’s easing of lockdown restrictions, with some indoor hospitality reopening on 17 May, I would like to thank our communities for their ongoing cooperation.
“Over the past month we have focused our proactive patrols on licensed premises, as well as public spaces and potential rave locations, and I’m pleased to report that we have not seen any major problems.
“We are now looking ahead to the summer and preparing a comprehensive plan for dealing with issues which may fall out of the re-emergence of a night-time economy, as bars, pubs and nightclubs return to normal.”
Police and Crime Commissioner Angus Macpherson said: “All the signs from the Government show that we are expecting to follow the roadmap outlined by the Prime Minister earlier this year, with the easing of further restrictions on both 17 May and 21 June.
“I would like to continue to remind everyone to stay safe, take necessary precautions and continue to do your bit to limit the spread of covid-19.”
The latest figures show that between 5 April and 3 May Wiltshire Police:
- Issued 13 fixed penalty notices. This brought the overall total to 880.
- Issued 17 formal warnings to people for failing to adhere to the Government rules.
- Recorded 439 reports from members of the public, either via the phone or online.
- Recorded five covid-related crimes and 14 covid-related incidents.
Updates on the Government’s restrictions, including the proposed roadmap out of lockdown, can be found at www.gov.uk/coronavirus