Cases are being referred to Border Force because police are busy as crime rises after a drop during the height of the pandemic
Over 400 travellers who should have been quarantining under the COVID-19 rules have so far escaped fines because police could not find them at their homes, it has been revealed.
Police chiefs have said that officers were asked to investigate over 4,000 cases of the coronavirus referred to them by the health authorities.
Most were complying with the self-isolation requirements in the UK and others were persuaded to do so, but the police got no answer at 440 addresses when they called and police chiefs have said that, “no further enforcement action (was) possible”.
At 240 of the addresses that the police visited they found no record of the suspects that they targeted as to living there.
This comes after a minister has suggested that tighter social restrictions could potentially be imposed if COVID-19 infections in the UK continue to rise. Helen Whately blames restrictions on household mixing as a newspaper says a government source claims the action “will have to come”.
Only 38 travellers from the UK have received fines by the police after they returned from countries such as France and Spain, which are countries on the Government’s quarantine list. UK Border Force may have given others fixed penalty notices.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) said: “College of Policing guidance states that where police are unable to get an answer following a visit to an address, then additional follow-up visits are suggested.”
“If there is still no answer, the times and dates of the visits should be recorded and fed back to Border Force.”
NPCC chairman Martin Hewitt said: “It is crucial that people do everything they can, including limiting social contact, to reduce the spread of coronavirus. The country is at a critical point, and personal choices will matter in the weeks and months to come.”
“It has proven to be the case that most people will be responsible and will accept that personal responsibility but there has to be a proportionate response and as I said, we’re at a position now where police forces are busy doing their normal jobs, there is not the capacity to get into a manhunt.”
“It was never designed to be 100% when everyone comes in they were meant to be checked, there’s a percentage that will be checked.”
Travellers who are returning from countries that are on the Government’s quarantine list can receive fines of £1,000 and up to £3,200 for repeat offences of the travelling laws.
This comes after University students across the country have told of the impact that COVID-19 restrictions have had on campuses throughout the UK and have demanded that they are refunded part of their tuition fees.
The NPCC also revealed that 15 people had received fines within the first week of the new “rule of six” rule which limits the number of people allowed at gatherings.
The law came into force on the 14th of September, but a lag in the data collection system may mean that the figure is potentially higher. First-time offenders are now due to be fined £200.
Over the past month, police have issued 18 fines due to social gatherings of over 30 people at events such as live music performances, as well as protests and private parties. Flouting that new “rule of six” carries a potential fine of £10,000.
Police chiefs have also revealed that the crime rate in the UK is almost back to the same levels as in 2019 after it had been falling dramatically at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.
According to a new set of figures for England and Wales, assaults on emergency service workers, police, as well as fire and healthcare workers, shot up by 29% in the past year.
