Coronavirus: White Males Receive Majority Of Sussex Fines

Tuesday, 28 July 2020 10:01

By Charlotte Baker @Ch4rtweets

More than 75% of fines issued for breaching coronavirus regulations in Sussex were issued to people of white ethnicity.

An independent analysis of Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) issued by police under the Coronavirus regulations in Sussex reveal that people of white ethnicity, and males, received the most fines between March 27 and May 25.

That's in contrast to national figures which show that black, asian and ethnic minority (BAME) people were issued with an FPN at a rate of 1.6 times higher than white people.

In total, 848 fines were issued in Sussex during this time period.

More than half of these (466) were to non-Sussex residents who had travelled from London and the home-counties, and some as far away as Exeter, Somerset and Notingham, to enjoy day-trips, in particular at Brighton beach and Camber Sands.

The report shows that FPNS were issued according to the following breakdown:

Gender

Age

Ethnicity

Female: 19.5%
Male: 79.5%
Non binary: 0.3%
Unknown: 0.7%

18-24: 29.1%
25-34: 38.3%
35-44: 19.0%
45-54: 8.7%
55-64: 3.9%
65+: 1.1%

White 649 (76.6%)
BAME 187 (22%)
No data recorded 12 (1.4%)

Temporary Deputy Chief Constable (T/DCC) Julia Chapman said:

"In Sussex we have always taken pride in our strong, community-based relationships, working hard to gain the trust and confidence of the public.

"Throughout this pandemic, and in line with national guidance, our officers and PCSOs worked to encourage people to comply with the new health regulations and used enforcement only as a last resort.

"The data shows that the vast majority of fines issued in Sussex, although relatively low overall, were during the peak of the lockdown period when people travelling into the county, many from urban areas, would have been fully aware that it was prohibited.

"The report also notes that those forces with rural and coastal areas, like Sussex, tended to issue higher proportions of fines to non-residents and this is relevant when assessing disparity rates since we know that the BAME population tend to be disproportionately concentrated in metropolitan areas.

"Nevertheless, it does show disparity across gender, age and ethnicity that cannot be fully accounted for and we are particularly conscious of, and sensitive to, the concerns around racism or bias in policing globally.

"We have shared and discussed this information with our independent race advisory group and will further scrutinise this data with them, and other independent community representatives, with a commitment to take action around any learning and ensuring our local communities can be confident that our policing approach is fair."

The full report Independent analysis of Fixed Penalty Notices is available to view here.