One person has been fined by police for breaching foreign arrival quarantine rules according to new figures today that suggested young BAME men were ‘disproportionately’ punished for lockdown breaches.
The data from forces in England and Wales was released by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) as holidaymakers in Spain and its islands were told they would have to self-isolate for 14 days when returning to the UK.
The ticket for breaching quarantine rules, which was issued by Lincolnshire Police, was one of only eight corona-related fixed penalty notices handed out in England in the two weeks to July 20, with none in Wales.
It does not include fines issued by UK Border Force, which had issued three penalties by July 10, when quarantine rules for people returning to or visiting the UK from a list of countries were relaxed.
A further six fines were handed to people who failed to wear face coverings on public transport, making a total of 32 under the regulations introduced on June 15.
The other Covid-linked fine in the latest two-week period was issued by Northamptonshire Police for a breach of rules around gatherings.
NPCC chairman Martin Hewitt said enforcement of the quarantine regulations, breaches of which can be punished with fines of between £100 and £1,000, is primarily a matter for Border Force and public health officials.
He said compliance with the rules had been good, but added ‘it’s really difficult to understand how people will respond’ after Spain was removed from the UK’s list of safe destinations over a spike in the number of coronavirus cases.
‘You would hope that people would come back and be responsible,’ he said.
The data was released by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) as holidaymakers in Spain and its islands were told they would have to self-isolate for 14 days when returning to the UK
‘I would hope they would be, but we will be in a position to carry out the role that we have in this, which is a secondary role to both the border force and Public Health England, as we are required to do so.
‘But I guess time will tell how that plays through.
‘And of course, you know it’s not inconceivable that this could happen with other countries as we move forward, and I think the Government has made clear about that as well, so we will monitor that and work through the process.’
Passengers caught not complying with the regulations on face coverings can be fined £100 and removed from services.
Figures are not yet available for breaches of regulations introduced on Friday making it compulsory for most people to wear face coverings in shops.
But Mr Hewitt said: ‘I certainly, in my trawl around how the weekend has gone, have heard of no instances around particular issues in shops. I’m not aware of any fines having been issued.’
A total of 18,669 fixed-penalty notices (FPNs), including 16,029 in England and 2,640 in Wales, have been recorded by forces up to July 20.
The NPCC said the figures do not include fines issued during the local Leicester lockdown.
A report by the organisation today concluded there has been racial ‘disproportionality’ in the issuing of fixed penalty notices (FPNs) by forces in England and Wales.
The analysis by Government statisticians shows people from BAME backgrounds were handed fines at a rate of 1.6 times higher than white people between March 27 and May 25, with black and Asian people 1.8 times more likely to be handed penalties.
Young men, aged between 18 and 34, from BAME backgrounds were over-represented by around twice the rate of young white men in the same age groups, the data suggests.
NPCC chairman Martin Hewitt said: ‘While it is a complex picture, it is a concern to see disparity between white and black, Asian or ethnic minority people.
‘Each force will be looking at this carefully to assess and mitigate any risks of bias – conscious or unconscious – and to minimise disproportionate impact wherever possible.
‘Many forces have brought in community representatives to help them scrutinise the circumstances around each FPN and if it has been issued fairly.
‘We are working to develop a plan of action to address issues of inclusion and race equality that still exist in policing – like the lower trust in us from black communities, their concerns about use of powers like stop and search and the concerns from people of colour within policing about inclusivity and equality at work. The findings of this analysis will be further considered as part of that work.’
The report found the number of fines issued across England and Wales was relatively low with a rate of three per 10,000 people, with 70% of all penalties issued to men aged under 45, who make up 22% of the population.
Young men aged between 18 and 34, who make up 14% of the population, accounted for 57% of those fines – a rate four times higher than if penalties were issued proportionately across all age groups.
The data shows wide variation across the country, with fines for BAME people up to 6.5 times higher than white people for some forces, with rates generally higher in coastal areas and beauty spots.
But the analysis found those areas typically have relatively small BAME populations with a small number of fines issued to BAME people leading to high disparity rates.
Cumbria Police, for example, issued just three fines to black people, equating to 30 per 10,000 compared with eight per 10,000 white people.
The report concluded: ‘The findings suggest that there has been disproportionality in the issuing of FPNs.
‘BAME people were issued with FPNs at a rate 1.6 to 1.7 times higher than for white people.’
But the report notes the disproportionality was far lower than the latest official statistics for stop and search, which showed a disparity rate of 4.3 for all BAME people and 9.7 for black people.
It also pointed out there were 20 forces that each issued fewer than 40 fines in total to BAME people.
Mr Hewitt added: ‘Rural and coastal forces that attract tourists issued significantly more FPNs to non-residents, which has significantly affected the level of disparity between white and people from black, Asian and other minority ethnic backgrounds compared with other forces who issued fewer relatively to non-residents.
‘For a number of forces, continued focus on crime and violence could affect their disparity rate as areas of that have been a focus of police activity are also areas with a higher concentration of black, Asian and minority ethnic people, which also increases the possibility of officers identifying and dealing with breaches during those deployments.
‘In communities or groups with lower trust in police, attempts to encourage before enforcing may be less successful.’