Five people suspected of breaking rules aimed at limiting the spread of the coronavirus have been fined by Sussex Police over the past month.
The force said that three were given “fixed penalty notices” for not wearing a face mask on public transport and two were fined for “failing to comply with self-isolation regulations”.
Details of the fines were issued as police chiefs appealed to the public to follow new rules announced last week.
Sussex Police said that it was urging the public “to continue to prevent the spread of covid”, adding: “Covid-19 is not going away and we all have our part to play in suppressing the virus.
“Sussex Police will continue to support the national effort and work with partners and local communities to prevent the spread of infection in Sussex.
“Earlier this week, the government announced new laws for the wearing of face masks, a 10pm curfew for bars, pubs and restaurants, and further guidance to the ‘rule of six’.
“Police officers and PCSOs (police community support officers) will continue to be out and about in communities to engage with members of the public, explain the new government regulations and encourage people to follow them.”
Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Jayne Dando, who leads local policing, said: “First and foremost, as has been the case throughout this pandemic, we know the vast majority of people will stick to the law and follow the government guidance.
“This is a national health crisis and we all have our part to play.
“Our officers and staff have been patrolling across the county and, on the whole, have been impressed with the public’s compliance to the government regulations.
“Where officers have needed to engage with members of the public and explain the current legislation generally, people have acted positively and changed their behaviour accordingly.
“However, those who continue to choose to flout the rules and put other people’s lives at risk will face enforcement action.
“Over the last month, we have issued three fixed penalty notices for those who were non-compliant with wearing a face mask when on public transport and two people were issued a fine for failing to comply with self-isolation regulations.
“We all need to work together to prevent the spread of the virus and that includes our officers and staff too.
“We have a number of procedures in place to ensure our employees can continue to respond to crime in the normal way, assessed against the greatest risk of harm, and support those in the communities who really need us.
“The demands on the police service are now back to pre-covid levels.
“Our priorities lie with public safety and so it is even more important that people take personal responsibility for their actions and do their bit to prevent the spread of the virus so the force can operate effectively for those who need us.
“If people are aware of a serious and current breach of the government’s coronavirus regulations, we would ask them to report it to us online. 999 should only be used in an emergency.”
