BAME residents in Cambridgeshire nearly two times more likely to be fined for breaching lockdown rules than white residents

Between March 27 and May 25 Cambridgeshire police issued 130 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) to people for breaching lockdown restrictions.

Of those, 109 were given to white residents, with 20 given to BAME residents (one was given to a resident of ‘unknown’ ethnicity).

When compared to the population figures in the county, it means that BAME residents fined at a rate 1.9 times higher than white residents, above the national average of 1.6 times higher across England and Wales.

However, Chief Constable Nick Dean urged caution, given the low number of fines issued.

The analysis, undertaken by staff from the Government Statistical Service, used police force data from English and Welsh forces for the number of FPNs issued between 27 March and 25 May for breaching public health regulations introduced by Government to help prevent the spread of Covid-19. These powers came into effect on 27 March.

The number of FPNs issued was relatively low – 17,039 in total and a rate across all of England and Wales equivalent to 3 per 10,000 resident population.

Chief Constable Nick Dean said: “Our approach from the very beginning of the Covid-19 restrictions has been to engage with the public, explain the situation and encourage people to adhere to the Government advice. Enforcement is a last resort, but has been necessary at times for blatant or repeated breaches.

“It is a credit to our communities that the vast majority of people have been taking the pandemic very seriously and following advice. This is demonstrated by the number of fixed penalty notices we have had to issue.

“Given the relatively low number of fines issued these statistics must be treated with caution. In addition, the statistics show approximately 20 per cent of the fines within Cambridgeshire were issued to people who reside outside of our community so efforts to identify any disproportionality must equally be treated with care.

“We are committed to ensuring our officers act with the utmost integrity and impartiality – approaching each individual case with the same approach, of engaging, explaining and encouraging. Discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated.

“Thank you to the vast majority of people who have been taking the pandemic seriously, adhering to the Government advice and acting responsibly to protect our communities and the NHS. We are still in the midst of Covid-19 and despite any lifting of restrictions we must continue to exercise care.”

National Police Chiefs’ Council Chair Martin Hewitt said: “The number of FPNs issued overall is low reflecting our approach of enforcing only as a last resort. It is also important to recognise that this data presents only a partial picture as it does not show the hundreds of thousands of interactions with the public where engagement, explanation and encouragement was effective and there was no need to issue a fine. Those who were given a fine did not follow the regulations that millions of others were abiding by, which were there to control the spread of a deadly virus, protect the NHS and save lives.

“Of the relatively small group who were issued with an FPN, there are disparities across gender, age and ethnicity – with young men most disproportionately represented against the population.

“The analysis in this report is complex and needs be interpreted carefully – the data available makes drawing definitive conclusions about disproportionality challenging and comparisons between forces are difficult due to their varying local contexts.

“Real caution in interpretation of local disparity rates is required given the small numbers involved in some force areas. In just under half of forces there were fewer than 40 FPNs in total issued to black, Asian or minority ethnic people – much less than one FPN a day over the two month period across each force area. Additionally the national analysis is based on a whole force area and doesn’t take account of the very local demographics in that area.

“Rural and coastal forces that attract tourists issued significantly more FPNs to non-residents, which has significantly affected the level of disparity between white and people from black, Asian and other minority ethnic backgrounds compared with other forces who issued fewer relatively to non-residents.

“For a number of forces, continued focus on crime and violence could affect their disparity rate as areas of that have been a focus of police activity are also areas with a higher concentration of black, Asian and minority ethnic people, which also increases the possibility of officers identifying and dealing with breaches during those deployments.

“In communities or groups with lower trust in police, attempts to encourage before enforcing may be less successful.

“While it is a complex picture, it is a concern to see disparity between white and black, Asian or ethnic minority people. Each force will be looking at this carefully to assess and mitigate any risks of bias – conscious or unconscious – and to minimise disproportionate impact wherever possible. Many forces have brought in community representatives to help them scrutinise the circumstances around each FPN and if it has been issued fairly.

“We are working to develop a plan of action to address issues of inclusion and race equality that still exist in policing - like the lower trust in us from black communities, their concerns about use of powers like stop and search and the concerns from people of colour within policing about inclusivity and equality at work. The findings of this analysis will be further considered as part of that work.”