“We will take action”: Police tough stance on Covid breaches following incidents across state, including woman in Grafton

Following a woman being fined in Grafton for breaching health orders and leaving Sydney, police say that people breaching the law are being reported by the public, and they will be dealt with by police

A day after NSW Police fined a woman in Grafton for breaching health orders, they have a simple message for the community – they’d rather not take action on Public Health Orders, but they will enforce the law if they have to.

The comments came from Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys addressed media yesterday to give an update on enforcements across the state.

Deputy Commissioner Worboys was the first to reveal an incident in Grafton on Friday when a woman from the Greater Sydney area was intercepted by police on the XPT bus, fined and returned to Sydney.

Comments on The Daily Examiner’s Facebook page today backed police to issue harsher penalties to offenders, with many concerned of the spread of COVID-19 to our area, which has only recording eight positive tests since the beginning of the pandemic.

Click the link below to read some of the comments

With police fining a woman in Grafton over leaving Sydney, what do you think about the penalties for COVID breaches? https://bit.ly/3xgj55r

Posted by The Daily Examiner on Friday, July 2, 2021

Today, he revealed that there had been 78 more infringements across the state, but said there was also another action on the increase.

“Of notice the reports to Crimestoppers have increased over the last few days,” he said.

“In the last 24 hours near 35 reports have been made to Crimestoppers … people are witnessing behaviour that contravene the Public Health Orders.

“It’s clear that people will report this sort of behaviour and we will take action.”

Deputy Commissioner Warboys specifically mentioned an incident in Jindabyne where members of the community had repeatedly reported a cafe for allegedly not following orders. Following fines and arrests coming reports, he said the cafe may now be shut under the health orders by NSW Health.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – NewsWire Photos – JULY, 03, 2021: NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys speaks to the media during a COVID-19 press conference in Sydney. New South Wales has recorded 35 new locally transmitted coronavirus cases overnight, nine of which were infectious during their time in the community. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

Deputy Commissioner Warboys said that despite these incidents, the vast majority of people across the state were doing the right thing, and police did not want to have to fine people.

“People are doing the right thing by themselves, their family and their communities and we would rather be out there highly visible and having people do the right thing,” he said.

“I guarantee police will be visible right across NSW, we will take action where we have to, but we’d rather not.

“Please be with us on this journey.”