Wiltshire Police's Covid patrols to continue during second lockdown
They want to remind people of the importance of following the restrictions.
The proactive patrols being done by Wiltshire's PCSOs to make sure people are following Covid protocols are going to continue.
As the country went into lockdown today (Thursday 5th November), Wiltshire Police want to remind people that they will take action if they need to.
The work being carried out by officers has been specifically designed to help them follow up on reports from the public and provide a swift response to any breaches of the restrictions.
Wiltshire Police say PCSOs have been focusing on engagement and encouragement, but have been providing warnings and enforcement when necessary.
In the week from 26th October to 1st November the force:
- Recorded 34 Covid-related reports
- Recorded four Covid-related crimes and five Covid-related incidents
- Issued 34 Covid-related warnings
- Did not issue any fixed penalty notices
Chief Constable Kier Pritchard said:
"As we approach a second national lockdown, we are in a strong position here in Wiltshire as we already have a well-established operation of proactive patrols by dedicated PCSOs. These patrols have already allowed us to increase our public engagement, and I feel confident that we can continue this as we prepare for the second lockdown later this week.
I would like to thank everyone for their support over the weekend. We knew that the combination of Halloween, and then the fact that people realised on Saturday it was their last weekend to visit pubs and restaurants before going back into lockdown, could have proved challenging for policing.
However, overall, we were pleased to see strong levels of cooperation from the public."
As with the first lockdown, police and relevant authorities will have powers to give fines and break up gatherings.
Originally, in England, people aged 18 and over breaking coronavirus laws could be fined:
- £200 for the first offence, lowered to £100 if paid within 14 days
- £400 for the second offence, then doubling for each further offence up to a maximum of £6,400
However, it has not been confirmed yet whether these fines will change.