Many people still not following social distancing guidelines, say Police

By Michael McHugh, PA

A lot of people are not following advice about social distancing, police in Northern Ireland said.

Officers have issued 374 fines to those who did not follow instructions to return home.

They will continue to conduct patrols and vehicle checkpoints at beauty spots, on roads going to key resorts and in Irish border areas, Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Assistant Chief Constable Alan Todd said.

He added: "It is encouraging that the vast majority of people are complying with the regulations.

"However, we have also seen evidence that a lot of people still are not taking the advice to stay at home and are not heeding our three Es - engage, explain and encourage - and we have now issued 374 fines and 615 community resolution notices directing people to behave differently."

He said his officers would engage with people and encourage them to adhere to restrictions.

But he added: "For the small numbers of people who are continuing to ignore the restrictions, it is inevitable that we will have to move to enforcement through the issue of penalty notices but I would stress this is always a last resort."