Men Issued With 82 Percent Of Social Distancing Breach Fines In England

New figures released by the Home Office reveal men have been have been issued with 82 percent of fines for social distancing breaches in England.

The data reveals that 8,877 fixed penalty notices for breaches of government public health regulations had been recorded in England between Friday 27 March and Monday 27 April, with 15 percent given to women and 3 percent unknown.

PA

In the same period, 299 fines have been handed out in Wales, 76 percent of which were given to men.

In England, 36 percent of fines were given to those aged between 18 and 24, with 31 percent going to those aged 25-34. Similarly in Wales, 40 percent of fines were given to those aged 18 to 24, with 28 percent to those aged 25-34.

Government public health regulations introduced on 27 March to prevent the spread of coronavirus enable officers to issue people with £60 ($75) fines if they fail to comply after officers have engaged with them, explained the risks to public health and encouraged voluntary compliance.

National Police Chiefs' Council Chair Martin Hewitt said: "As the latest provisional figures on the number of fines issued show, the vast majority of people continue to do the right thing, staying at home in order to protect the NHS and help save lives.

"The figures also show our use of the enforcement powers remains proportionate with just 0.02 percent of the population in England being issued with a fine.

"I want to thank people for continuing to follow the regulations - I recognise it's not easy and that this is a challenging time for us all.

PA

"Our approach of - engage, explain and encourage, and only as a last resort, enforce - will continue. It is working.

"I urge the public to keep going, keep following the advice: stay home, protect the NHS and save lives."

Topics: Police, UK News, Coronavirus, crime

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey