Police target youths breaching lockdown rules in Sleaford riverside beauty spot

Sleaford police responded to calls about anti-social youths breaching Covid rules by congregating at The Nettles near Sleaford Leisure Centre on Friday evening.

The youths ran off leaving many empty and full bottles of alcohol, which a member of the public has since tidied up.

Residents challenged Chief Supt Paul Timmins about what was being done about the ongoing issue during a live Q&A on Facebook last week after the same problem had occurred during previous lockdowns.

He said police received around 40 calls a day for COVID-related issues.

“Where we get reports of those sorts of activities […] we do risk assess and have a proportionate response to them,” he said.

He said this did not just mean enforcing incidents but figuring out why they occurred — for instance “family set-up issues that might mean the children feel better being outdoors.”

This included working with partners such as local authorities or Trading Standards for advice and guidance.

That way, he said: “We’re able then to provide a really decent quality service to that individual [and] can provide them with the right outcome rather than just saying sorry it’s not our problem.”

According to recent National Police Chiefs’ Council data the force issued 490 coronavirus-related fines between March 27, 2020 and January 17, 2021.

On top of that some 86 coronavirus-related fines had been withdrawn after scrutiny.