Following Sue Gray’s investigation into partygate and subsequent publication of the update on January 31, 2022, the first batch of fixed penalty notices (FPNs) have been issued to those celebrating at Number 10. An initial round of 20 FPNs were handed out as part of Scotland Yard’s investigation into gatherings that took place during lockdown in 2020 and 2021.
Despite his refusal to accept laws were broken as he was questioned on the partygate scandal at the Liaison Committee, Boris Johnson indicated he had not been issued a FPN. Boris Johnson said: “I’m sure you would know if I were. But what I also said repeatedly… I won’t give a running commentary on an investigation that is underway.”
Covid-19 breaches were a country-wide issue, not just one that hit at the very heart of government. In her widely publicised update titled 'Investigation into alleged gatherings on government premises during Covid', Sue Gray found failures of leadership and judgement. Writing in her conclusion, she said: “A number of these gatherings should not have been allowed to take place or to develop in the way that they did.”
Since then an investigation by the Met Police has found that a number of individuals breached lockdown rules at Number 10 and have been fined. The first batch of FPN's saw those in attendance fined £50 each. However, so far Boris Johnson has not been fined.
Across the country thousands of others received fines. We have obtained data from the National Police Chiefs' Council showing the number of breaches carried out by the public and where they occurred. Here is a map of FPNs handed out under emergency health regulations between March 27, 2020 and February 27, 2022.
While the majority of FPNs relate to a single individual, some people were issued with an FPN more than once. An FPN could also have been issued for more than one reason.
The number of FPNs being issued should not be seen as a measure of the level of public non-compliance or the amount of police activity involved in policing the new measures. This is because fines were issued as a last resort after attempts to engage with the public to explain and encourage compliance with the new regulations were unsuccessful.
When broken down by the number of fines handed out per person living in each police force area the data also revealed that some police forces handed out many more fines than others. City of London Police handed out by far the most Covid fines per person, with a rate of 339.2 fines per 10,000 people. The force only handed out 371 fines but there are only around 10,000 people living in the City of London.
Merseyside Police had the second highest Covid fine rate at 51.8 fines per 10,000 people. Meanwhile, North Yorkshire Police had the third-highest rate at 48.4 fines per 10,000 people.
The figures below show the number of fines per 10,000 people in each police force area. They are followed by the total number of fines handed out by each force.
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City of London - 339.2 fines per 10,000 people (371 in total)
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Merseyside Police - 51.8 fines per 10,000 people (7,410 in total)
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North Yorkshire Police - 48.4 fines per 10,000 people (4,011 in total)
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Northumbria Police - 47.4 fines per 10,000 people (6,932 in total)
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Northamptonshire Police - 43.8 fines per 10,000 people (3,296 in total)
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North Wales Police - 43.3 fines per 10,000 people (3,030 in total)
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Dyfed-Powys Police - 41.6 fines per 10,000 people (2,160 in total)
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South Wales Police - 40.4 fines per 10,000 people (5,406 in total)
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Cumbria Constabulary - 33.2 fines per 10,000 people (1,659 in total)
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Lancashire Constabulary - 30.9 fines per 10,000 people (4,660 in total)
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Leicestershire Police - 27.9 fines per 10,000 people (3,073 in total)
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Nottinghamshire - 26.7 fines per 10,000 people (3,102 in total)
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South Yorkshire Police - 26.1 fines per 10,000 people (3,682 in total)
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Warwickshire Police - 23.3 fines per 10,000 people (1,344 in total)
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West Yorkshire Police - 21.8 fines per 10,000 people (5,088 in total)
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Dorset Police - 21.2 fines per 10,000 people (1,643 in total)
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Gwent Police - 21.1 fines per 10,000 people (1,254 in total)
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Total for England and Wales - 21.0 fines per 10,000 people (124,617 in total)
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West Mercia Police - 20.7 fines per 10,000 people (2,675 in total)
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Norfolk Constabulary - 20.7 fines per 10,000 people (1,875 in total)
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Metropolitan Police Service - 19.9 fines per 10,000 people (17,829 in total)
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Derbyshire Constabulary - 19.9 fines per 10,000 people (2,107 in total)
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Greater Manchester Police - 18.7 fines per 10,000 people (5,296 in total)
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Durham Constabulary - 17.1 fines per 10,000 people (1,090 in total)
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Staffordshire Police - 17.0 fines per 10,000 people (1,928 in total)
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Cheshire Constabulary - 16.2 fines per 10,000 people (1,724 in total)
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Surrey Police - 15.2 fines per 10,000 people (1,819 in total)
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Devon & Cornwall Police - 15.1 fines per 10,000 people (2,681 in total)
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Suffolk Constabulary - 14.6 fines per 10,000 people (1,113 in total)
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Bedfordshire Police - 14.6 fines per 10,000 people (984 in total)
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Kent Police - 13.8 fines per 10,000 people (2,566 in total)
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Hampshire Constabulary - 13.6 fines per 10,000 people (2,714 in total)
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Sussex Police - 13.6 fines per 10,000 people (2,333 in total)
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West Midlands Police - 13.4 fines per 10,000 people (3,919 in total)
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Lincolnshire Police - 12.9 fines per 10,000 people (983 in total)
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Avon and Somerset Constabulary - 12.6 fines per 10,000 people (2,161 in total)
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Thames Valley Police - 12.2 fines per 10,000 people (2,944 in total)
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Cambridgeshire Constabulary - 11.1 fines per 10,000 people (951 in total)
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Gloucestershire Constabulary - 10.8 fines per 10,000 people (688 in total)
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Wiltshire Police - 10.7 fines per 10,000 people (776 in total)
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Hertfordshire Constabulary - 9.5 fines per 10,000 people (1,133 in total)
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Cleveland Police - 8.9 fines per 10,000 people (506 in total)
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Essex Police - 8.1 fines per 10,000 people (1,503 in total)
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Humberside Police - 7.0 fines per 10,000 people (657 in total)
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British Transport Police (England) - N/A fines per 10,000 people (1,212 in total)
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Ministry of Defence - N/A fines per 10,000 people (114 in total)
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British Transport Police (Wales) - N/A fines per 10,000 people (215 in total)
What did the police say?
City of London
City of London Police was contacted for comment. The force has yet to provide a comment.
Merseyside Police
Merseyside Police's assistant chief constable Paul White said: “Coronavirus restrictions were put in place by the Government for a reason – to help prevent the spread of a deadly pandemic and protect the NHS and the most vulnerable in our communities. Legislation was introduced in accordance with Public Health guidelines to enable police forces up and down the country to ensure the public complied with those restrictions.
“While a degree of discretion was used, the message was clear – if people did not comply with the legislation, they risked being fined and Merseyside Police issued 7,410 fines during the period to 27 February this year. Where people clearly flouted the rules by gathering in large numbers with people not from their household or bubble, and risked spreading Covid-19 by their actions, our officers took action. We dispersed a number of house parties and other gatherings, and issued fines to organisers and those attending in accordance with the legislation.
“We know it was a challenging time for people across Merseyside, and are grateful to all those who made huge sacrifices in order to prevent the spread of the virus. Their efforts helped speed up the easing of restrictions and alongside vaccination and regular testing, allowed us to return to some normality. But those who refused to comply with restrictions risked prolonging that time for all of us, and we worked closely with local authorities and the NHS, with an extensive policing plan to help protect public health across our region.
“Our role was to help explain the legislation and ultimately enforce it, and officers proactively patrolled popular outdoor destinations across Merseyside, including visitor attractions such as beaches, parks and beauty spots, offering guidance on the latest coronavirus restrictions and issuing fines where that guidance was not adhered to.”
North Yorkshire Police
A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said: In terms of the volume of fines issued, it is difficult to compare one force area with another as each of the country had its own challenges. North Yorkshire is the largest county in England and with two national parks, two areas of outstanding natural beauty, a picturesque coastline and other attractions, which under normal circumstances are a magnet for visitors. This has been reflected in the fines issued, with nearly 50% of notices issued to visitors from outside the area.
“We were very clear on our responsibility throughout the pandemic and were fully committed to ensuring the public of North Yorkshire were kept as safe as possible. Our approach throughout was to follow our four ‘E’s approach to engage, explain, encourage with enforcement being seen as a last resort. The vast majority of the public understood what was being asked of them and adhered to the regulations and we’re grateful for their support.”
