Assistant Chief Constable warns of enforcement against those who breach Government regulations

Message from Humberside Police:

As we have been under our new third national lockdown for two weeks Assistant Chief Constable Paul Anderson speaks about the new regulations and how our communities have pulled together to keep each other safe, “The first two weeks of 2021 have been one of facing new challenges and new regulations and I am pleased to say that yet again the people of East Yorkshire, Hull, North and North East Lincolnshire have, in the majority, stood up to the challenges of the ‘new normal’ and have been, by and large, adhering to the new restrictions.

“We have however had a number of instances of people flagrantly breaching the regulations. This weekend officers have issued 78 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) in the Force area.  We were called to reports of parties in Beverley, Hull and Scunthorpe, where a number of people were found hosting and attending parties.  Clearly this is in breach of the current restrictions and is not only a danger to those attending but a risk to spread the virus to their wider communities. *

“In the past two weeks we have also issued a number of fixed penalty notices for people in breach of the new regulations, those include some notable incidents; a party of friends travelling from Leeds to attend a party in Bridlington were issued FPNs, a person who had returned to England from overseas did not self-isolate as per travel restrictions, they were issued with a FPN,  a small group of men were issued with FPNs when they were found outside their own area for the purposes of hare coursing in the East Riding of Yorkshire and a man from Liverpool was issued with a FPN when he was found in our area without a reasonable excuse.

“Some people have needed clarification on the distances they can travel to take exercise and we would advise people to read the Government guidance carefully, they state that ‘you should not travel outside your local area, stay local means stay in the village, town or part of the city where you live.’

“Our policing approach has always been to engage with our residents and communities, explaining and encouraging them to follow the guidance, letting people know that what they are doing may put themselves and others at risk.

“The majority of people have been very accepting of this advice, however, this weekend has shown that where necessary we have had to disperse groups that are found in breach of the regulations and enforcement has been necessary.  This enforcement is only considered as after all reasonable requests and other options have been tried.

“We continue to take this approach to ensure we protect our communities which will always be our priority, to keep people safe and to protect the National Health Service as they face increased numbers of hospitalised patients.

“Preventing the spread of the virus remains a shared effort and everyone has personal responsibility for following the laws and regulations set out. 

“This new coronavirus variant is reported as being highly transmissible and it is crucial that we call do whatever we can to abide by the restrictions, to protect each other. 

“As our communities begin to receive their Covid-19 vaccination appointments, there is much hope and anticipation that we can return to normal in the not too distant future.  However, now is not a time to relax or step back from our responsibilities, the complete roll out of the vaccine program will take months to complete and we must all continue to help each other and stay at home to stay safe and protect each other and the NHS.

* This weekend officers attended premises in Beverley, Hull and Scunthorpe were large gatherings or parties were reported to us.  The details of those incidents are as follows:

On Friday 15 January;

Nine people were issued with Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) at a house on Cliff Street in Scunthorpe when a gathering at the address was reported.  Officers attended and found a dozen people in the address.

Eight people were issued with FPNs at a house on Farringdon Street in Hull where there was a large party being held at the address.

Four people were issued with FPNs at a gathering at a house on Grovehill Road Beverley, one person was also arrested for possession of drugs.

On Saturday 16 January 11 people were issued with FPNs at a house on Wright Street in Hull where there was a party at the address.

On Sunday 17 January;

12 people were issued with FPNs at a house on St Georges Road in Hull where a party was being held at the address.

13 people were issued with FPNs at a house on Spring Bank in Hull where there was a party being held at the address

7 people were issued with FPNs at a gathering at a house on Digby Street Scunthorpe