Stores in Adelaide’s east and shoppers fined in police QR code crackdown

Shoppers and retailers in Adelaide’s eastern suburbs have been fined over QR code check-in failures, stores say.

At least three businesses in Adelaide’s eastern suburbs have been hit with fines over   QR code check-in breaches.

Retailers reported two stores at Burnside Village and a butcher at Norwood were fined on Saturday by police for failing to encourage customers to check-in. Two shoppers were also fined and another 50 reportedly warned.

The police crackdown is part of Operation Trace aimed at encouraging customers and shops businesses to use the state government’s COVID-Safe QR check-in system, which has declined 20 per cent in use over the past few months.

Fines for individuals are $1060, and $5060 for businesses.  

SA Police declined to confirm the fines, saying it would reveal the total number of fines handed out at the end of the operation on Friday.

South Australian senator Alex Antic said fines were “unreasonable” for a state with no community cases of the virus.

“Fining businesses in this manner feeds a growing perception these emergency powers have given too much power and too much licence to the authorities,” Senator Antic said.

SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens announced the crackdown last week, saying police had taken an “educational” approach so far to checking in, but a “level of complacency” had grown up around using the system.

“If you are simply walking past QR codes, you will be stopped by plain-clothed police,” he said. “I anticipate a large number of people being spoken to.”

Police will record names of people spoken to for failing to check in.

Mr Stevens said he found it “frustrating” people were not following instructions.

“I find it quite frustrating that a significant number of South Australians are doing the right thing, and there are others out there who either have not been listening to the messages that we’ve been pumping out … or simply choosing to ignore,” he said.

He warned “blatant” or continual refusal to check-in could result in fines, which was $1060 for individuals and $5060 for businesses.

“If we find people are disregarding the warnings, we can reassess our approach – people may find themselves facing an expiation notice as a result of their blatant disregard of the conditions that are placed to protect the community.”