Three people fined in Salisbury for Covid-19 breaches
17 fixed penalty notices were given out by Wiltshire Police over Christmas and New Year
Among the fines issues by officers were for two men and a woman in Salisbury.
They were spoken to on Boxing Day for gathering in a group of more than six outdoors.
They'd also been previously warned about their behaviour earlier in December.
Wiltshire Police tell us that between the 21st December and 4th January, they issued:
- 17 fixed penalty notices, bringing the overall total during the pandemic to 265
- 88 formal warnings were given to people for failing to adhere to the Government rules
- 177 reports from members of the public were recorded, either via the phone or using our online reporting tool
- Two Covid-related crimes and eight Covid-related incidents were also reported
PLEASE STICK TO THE RULES
There's a plea from Wiltshire Police's Chief Constable for us to keep adhering to the Covid-19 restrictions during the third national lockdown.
Kier Pritchard says the force will continue to 'police with consent and in a proportionate way' but also says action will be taken against those 'intent on breaching the rules':
"I'm sure people will have been left under no illusion following the national broadcast from the Prime Minister on Monday evening (4th January) - the situation has worsened and we all have to act to stop the spread of the virus, protect the NHS and save lives.
"We owe it to our colleagues working in our NHS to do everything we can to slow the spread of the virus and protect our healthcare system. Therefore, we need to make it clear that breaches of the national lockdown are completely unacceptable.
"Since the start of this pandemic, we have focused on engaging with those in breach of the regulations and encouraging them to follow the guidance which we will continue to do but, as we start this third period of national lockdown, every single person should know what is expected of them and what is acceptable.
"I know the vast majority of people across our communities continue to adhere to the various restrictions in place over the past ten months, and I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to those who have already sacrificed so much.
"That is why we need to ensure that their efforts are not ruined by a small minority. My officers and staff will be out in our communities taking a proactive approach to ensure the lockdown is being adhered to and issuing fixed penalty notices when they find breaches."
Anyone reporting possible Covid-19 breaches is asked to do it through the Wiltshire Police website, to keep the phone lines free for other emergencies.