Assistant Chief Constable gives update after a month in lockdown

Message from Humberside Police:

We have now been under the new national lockdown for almost a month, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson announcing these restrictions at the beginning of January 2021.

Following this, our main priority has been to protect our residents and communities and to keep people safe, as well as helping to ease the pressure being placed on the National Health Service.  Assistant Chief Constable Chris Noble speaks about how our area has supported one another to work towards a safer environment: “This first month has been a challenging time for many with the announcement of a national lockdown, but we want to thank those who are adhering to the guidelines. Preventing the spread of the virus must be a top priority for everyone and it’s vital we all do whatever we can to stick to the restrictions in place to protect our loved ones, and other residents of our Force area.

“I am pleased that the majority of people in East Yorkshire, Hull, North and North East Lincolnshire have supported one another and are continuing to adhere to the restrictions.

“Although the majority of people in the Force area have stood up to the challenges and are helping to protect others in a time of need, there are a number of instances where some people have flagrantly breached the Covid-19 regulations.

“This weekend officers have had to issue 40 fixed penalty notices (FPNs), after we were called to a number of reports of indoor gatherings in Scunthorpe, Market Weighton, Hull and Grimsby. Four fixed penalty notices have also been issued to businesses who have continued to trade, in the Beverley and Market Weighton area. Eight FPNs were issued following reports of a group of adults going for a walk in the early hours of the morning carrying alcohol, in Cottingham. Two FPNs were issued in Goole following the report of a street fight between two men.

“Our Engage, Explain and Encourage approach has worked well, but we will not hesitate to use enforcement where we need to. Our teams are patrolling hot spot areas and are actively engaging with those who are out and about. We ask that you help us by sticking to the rules, as our officers continue to put themselves in harm’s way to keep others safe.

“Unfortunately, this weekend has shown that some have blatantly, recklessly and selfishly breached these regulations and enforcement has been necessary. We will not hesitate to move to enforcement in these circumstances. 

“This approach allows us to protect our community, to keep people safe and to help protect the National Health Service as they continue to face this pandemic.

“We are now in a different position from where we were at the beginning of the month, with the Covid-19 vaccination appointments being rolled out across our Force area. This gives us much hope that we can return to normal in the near future, but in order to achieve this, we must continue to stick to the guidelines. This is not a time to relax.

“We must do all we can to protect and help each other and the NHS. To anyone who is unclear, the national lockdown means you must not leave or be outside your home except where you have a ‘reasonable’ excuse”

Update – We can now confirm there were a further 14 fixed penalty notices from the weekend 30/31 January, in addition to the 40 already reported.

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This weekend 40 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) were processed from incidents across Scunthorpe, Hull, Grimsby, Market Weighton, Cottingham, Goole and Beverley.

25 FPNs were issued as a result of various indoor gatherings in Scunthorpe, Market Weighton, Hull and Grimsby.

8 FPNs were issued in Cottingham to a group of adults going for a walk in the early hours of the morning, carrying alcohol.

3 FPNs were issued to a business in Beverley who were continuing to trade despite lockdown.

1 FPN was issued to another business owner who attended a client’s property to work in Market Weighton.

And 2 FPNs were issued in Goole, following the report of a street fight between two men.