Bedfordshire Police have busiest ever weekend as residents break coronavirus rules

Bedfordshire Police has had its busiest ever weekend as the force encouraged people to comply with the Covid-19 lockdown alongside everyday policing.

The force logged 2,555 incidents across all four days of the Easter bank holiday, including 712 on Saturday and 714 on Sunday.

The Sunday figure broke a 22-year record for the highest number of incidents recorded in a single day.

Between 36 and 42 per cent of the logged incidents on each day were linked to breaches of the regulations on coronavirus.

The force has now issued a total of 63 fixed penalty notices for breaches of these rules, the majority of which related to people breaking the restrictions on movement.

Of these 63 penalty notices, 48 were issued over the Easter weekend. These included for people having parties as well as larger gatherings in parks and town centres.

Officers also responded to a number of other offences such as domestic abuse and theft, as well as making a number of significant arrests around drug dealing.

Assistant Chief Constable Jackie Sebire said: “This was an incredibly challenging weekend for our officers and staff, all of whom put in an unbelievable amount of hard work and served the public extremely well.

“The vast majority of people are still following the guidance to stay at home, limiting the spread of this virus and undoubtedly saving lives. We cannot thank those people enough for what they are doing, and would much rather everybody did the same.

“This weekend shows that we are willing to take a tougher stance where needed to enforce these regulations, which are in place to save lives and keep our communities safe. As a result, a proportionate number of penalties were issued, but on the whole best practice was adhered to and the vast majority of the public stuck to the government guidance.”