Three men taken to court for failing to pay Covid-19 fines issued by Wiltshire Police

Since the beginning of the pandemic Wiltshire Police has issued 235 Fixed Penalty Notices to people who had failed to adhere to the Government restrictions.

The fines are processed nationally, as they are for all police forces but when someone refuses to pay the fine or doesn't respond to the official notification, the case is returned to the police to pursue court action.

All three men were found guilty in absence, and the fine, court cost and victim surcharge were set by the court.

• A 35-year-old man from Warminster was issued with an FPN for not having a reasonable excuse for being away from his home address on the evening of the 5th of April. He failed to pay the initial fine, so the court fined him £440, ordered court costs of £90 and a victim surcharge of £44.

• A 25-year-old man from Purton was stopped by police in Swindon on the 6th of April and did not have a reasonable excuse for leaving his home address. When spoken to by officers he was dismissive of the regulations, and then failed to pay his FPN. The court fined him £440, ordered him to pay court costs of £90 and a victim surcharge of £44.

• A 34-year-old man from Warminster was stopped by police officers in Westbury in the early hours of 12th April. He had been driving home from his girlfriend's house, so did not have a reasonable excuse to be out. He failed to pay his FPN, so the court fined him £180, ordered him to pay court costs of £90 and a victim surcharge of £34.

Deputy Chief Constable Paul Mills, from Wiltshire Police, says their actions are not fair on those who did stick to the rules.

"During the spring there was a national lockdown where the rules were very clear and the vast majority of people understood that they were to stay at home unless they had very specific reasons to leave."

"A huge amount of people made a great many sacrifices, missing out on contact with family and friends to ensure they were doing their bit to help protect the most vulnerable in our communities."

"We are now in the same situation again, and I believe the public will be pleased to see that action is being taken against those who have deliberately flouted the rules and broken the law."

CONCERNS OVER SECOND LOCKDOWN

Meanwhile Wiltshire Police say a small minority of the general public are still failing to take the lockdown restrictions seriously.

The force has seen a rise in the number of reports being made by residents who are concerned that others aren't sticking to the guidelines.

Since the start of the second lockdown last Thursday (5th November), there has been an increased demand on police officers.

Between 2nd November and 8th November, Wiltshire Police:

• Recorded 124 Covid-related logs, which relates to telephone calls or online reports from members of the public. This is a significant increase on the 34 recorded the previous week.

• Recorded five Covid-related crimes and 11 Covid-related incidents.

• Recorded 62 interactions, where police officers or police community support officers engaged with members of the public to advise them on failing to comply with the regulations

• Issued 46 warnings - an increase on the 34 warnings the previous week.

• Issued two fixed penalty notices following a house party in Swindon over the weekend.

Wiltshire Police say proactive patrols will continue throughout the county and stress enforcement action will be taken where necessary against those who fail to comply to the rules.

Police and Crime Commissioner Angus Macpherson has echoed that

"The Prime Minister has made it clear that we are at a critical point in the battle to bring the virus under control, so I would strongly urge you all to make sure you are carefully following the restrictions and helping us keep people safe this winter."

You can see the full coronavirus advice by visitinggov.uk/coronavirus.

• wiltshire
• Police
• covid-19