South Wales parents whose children broke firebreak rules fined by police
Breaches included anti-social behaviour, house parties and failure to self-isolate
Parents whose children were involved in antisocial behaviour and breaching of coronavirus legislation were among those fined in south Wales over the weekend.
As Wales headed in to the second weekend of the national firebreak, calls to South Wales Police spiked at almost 1,500 on Saturday, October 31, with more than 200 of those calls relating to concerns about Covid breaches and Halloween concerns.
Egg throwing and house parties
They ranged from youths engaging in antisocial behaviour, house parties, suspected breaches by licensed premises and failure of Covid-positive individuals to self-isolate.
There were also reports of gatherings at religious settings.
Approximately 30 fixed penalty notices were issued throughout the weekend including to the parents of young people throwing eggs in St Mellons, Cardiff, and the parents of some who hosted or attended a party in Taibach, Port Talbot.
There were also:
137 warnings or other police interventions.
Five anti-social behaviour referrals made.
Several joint visits to licensed premises, among them a pub in Neath which was found to be continuing to trade despite the current lockdown.
Almost 50 Acceptable Behaviour Contracts (ABCs) due to be issued to students at a Cardiff halls of residence following reports of a student party.
A statement from South Wales Police said enquiries are ongoing for a number of incidents including protests, licence breaches and house parties.
Thanks to vast majority
Gold Commander Chief Superintendent Andy Valentine said:
“As anticipated, this past weekend was another busy one for the force. In addition to existing policing demand – which does not simply go away because we are in the midst of a pandemic – we also faced the continued demand of Covid legislation and the current increased restrictions and the traditional demand of Halloween.
“We’re continuing to find the vast majority of people are complying with the restrictions because it is the right thing to do for themselves, their loved ones and our NHS. As always, I would thank them for that approach as it really does enable us and our emergency service colleagues to focus our resources where they’re most needed.
“I think it is telling that among those fined this weekend were a number of parents who clearly weren’t ensuring their children were also following the rules. If we are to help slow the spread of this virus, each and every one of us must take responsibility and ensure that we – and those dependent upon us – are doing the right thing. “
But he also warned against false alarms:
“While we responded to calls about genuine breaches, our officers also attended a number of reports which, while well-intentioned, turned out to not be as reported.
“Responding to those calls takes time and relies upon our officers embracing the full 4Es approach – engaging, explain and encouraging, and enforcing where necessary – to fully understand the situation they’re faced with.
“While it is frustrating for those who are complying when they perceive others not to be, it remains extremely important to us as a force that we are dealing with each report on its merit and we continue to respond in a measured and proportionate manner.
“The public can be reassured, however, that we will continue to enforce where blatant and flagrant breaches occur.”