Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the enforcement of the restrictions put in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic have been targeted (1) in areas with lower compliance, and (2) where COVID-19 infections are rising; and if so, where are those areas.

On 30 September, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) published its latest report on the police use of Covid-19 enforcement notices issued under all emergency health protections. The data showed that between 27 March and 21 September, 18,912 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPN) were issued by police forces in England and Wales between 27 March and 21 September.

The data in the report provides an analysis of the rationale for issuing a FPN and a breakdown of issuance by police force. Data related to those individuals or businesses in receipt of more than one fixed penalty notice, for any reason, is not provided by the NPCC in its report and is not held by the Home Office.

Each force is operationally independent and will respond accordingly to local needs as part of a multi-agency approach with partners including PHE and local authorities. Any region-specific enforcement activity is a matter for individual police forces.