Police issue $60,000 in fines over past 24 hours for breaches of COVID-19 laws

Three men arrested for allegedly trespassing on a Gold Coast rooftop were among the hundreds of Queenslanders issued with more than $1.5 million in fines in the past few weeks for failing to follow strict coronavirus laws.

POLICE have nabbed three men allegedly trespassing on a Gold Coast rooftop and have also slapped them with fines for defying public health directions aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19.

The police helicopter unit Polair found the three men in Palm Beach, on the Gold Coast, on Saturday night.

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The three men aged 19, 20 and 21 were found on the roof of a building in Jefferson Lane about 11.20pm on Saturday.

Three people have been hit with fines after they were spotted on a rooftop at Palm Beach on the Gold Coast.

“The men will be given $1334 infringement notices for breaching the Chief Health Officer’s directions and were issued infringement notices for being unlawfully on premises,” police said in a statement.

“The 19-year-old man and the 20-year-old man were also charged with drug possession offences and will appear in the Coolangatta Court on July 27.”

Chief Superintendent Mark Wheeler. Picture: Jerad Williams

Gold Coast District Chief Superintendent Mark Wheeler said police were using resources to patrol businesses closed due to COVID-19.

“This is a textbook example of a breach where there has been a total and blatant disregard for not only the law, but also the direction of the Chief Health Officer’s directions,” said Chief Superintendent Wheeler.

It comes as figures show Queensland Police Service have now issued more than $1.5 million in COVID-19 infringement notices after another 46 people were fined for breaches in the past 24 hours.

The latest infringements amount to $61,000 in fines but are down on the 70 issued in the previous 24 hours.

Meanwhile, police turned 11 vehicles away from crossing into Queensland while 100 of the 1972 people they intercepted at border checks were directed into quarantine.

Another person was refused entry at a Queensland domestic airport terminal.

Police were not required to conduct any business compliance checks on non-essential businesses, while 40 checks were done on people in state-ordered quarantine.