Men fined after travelling from Bath to Calne to use skatepark

Officers out on patrol across Wiltshire this weekend have since raised concerns about people either gathering in groups or failing to keep their distance from others.

The latest figures show that between January 11 and January 17 Wiltshire Police:

• Issued 21 fixed penalty notices (FPNs). This brings the overall total to 315.

• Issued 104 formal warnings to people for failing to adhere to the Government rules. One of these was issued to a business not complying.

• Recorded 15 interactions/engagement. 11 for large groups, four for failing to isolate.

• Recorded 357 reports from members of the public, either via the phone or using our online reporting tool.

• Recorded four Covid-related crimes and 35 Covid-related incidents.

Of the 21 FPNs issued, 11 were for people who had been gathering in groups outdoors, eight were for people breaching lockdown by being away from home without having a valid reason and two were for people gathering indoors with people outside of their household.

Some key examples of people breaching the lockdown restrictions include a man from Luton being stopped in Devizes on January 14, and claiming that he had travelled to the town to get a McDonalds, and three men aged 18,19 and 21 travelling from Bath to Calne to use the skate park.

In both of these examples they were issued with £200 FPNS.

Deputy Chief Constable Paul Mills said officers on patrol over the weekend had raised particular concern about the lack of social distancing.

Paul Mills

He said: "Over the past week we have continued with our proactive policing patrols across the county.

"The teams who patrolled both Lydiard Park and Coate Water in Swindon raised concerns about people gathering in groups and failing to socially distance.

"While we appreciate that people need to get outdoors for exercise, we need to remind everyone that they shouldn't be meeting groups of friends or sitting down for picnics.

"The law states that people can leave their homes to exercise, but the guidance says that this should be limited to once a day and that you should not travel outside your local area.

"Therefore, the onus is on everyone to take personal responsibility, such that they do not increase the risk of the spread of the virus. We would also ask the public to remember the importance of social distancing in public and to sensibly avoid places where it may be difficult to ensure a safe distance."

Police and Crime Commissioner Angus Macpherson said it was important that everyone considered the potential risks when they were out and about.

He said: "We know that many people who have Covid-19 could be completely unaware, as they are asymptomatic.

"The advice from the Government scientists is to act as if you have the virus, to reduce the risk of you passing it on to others.

"Therefore, even if you feel completely healthy you should do your bit to protect other people by regularly washing your hands, wearing a face covering when required, and keeping your distance from others."

Yesterday (January 18) it was reported that eight people had been arrested for breaching lockdown rules after travelling from London to Stonehenge for "no good reason".

While dealing with the incident, a police officer was hit to the face and suffered a cut to her eye.