Coronavirus fines: Mt Druitt a hotspot for COVID-19 breaches
Police say some people still aren’t getting the message to stay home and continue to breach COVID-19 restrictions, with officers dishing out thousands of dollars worth of fines.
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Mt Druitt Police are cracking down on offenders breaking COVID-19 restrictions, dishing out thousands of dollars worth of fines.
According to information from NSW Police, 14 fines, totalling $14,000, have been issued by the Mt Druitt Local Area Command for breaches of public health orders over the past three weeks.
The area has become a hotspot for coronavirus fines, behind the Sydney CBD, with 27 fines, and the Newcastle suburb of Stockrington, with 19 fines.
Detective Chief Inspector Paul Tickner of Mt Druitt Police Area Command said Dawson Mall and local parks were being closely patrolled.
“Most of the tickets we are giving out are to people drinking in parks, particularly around Dawson Mall area or associating in groups when they shouldn’t, so they’re not isolating and they’re leaving home without a lawful purpose,” Detective Chief Inspector Tickner said.
“We’re also pulling over cars with people who are not relatives and just visiting friends.”
However, he commended the majority of residents for their compliance.
“The majority of people are doing the right thing but there is a small percentage that continues to flout the rules,” he said.
Rule breakers in the Mt Druitt CBD, around Dawson Mall and Mt Druitt Westfield, have accounted for $10,000 worth of fines.
On April 9, four men were fined in Dawson Mall after meeting to drink alcohol. Three of the men been fined for previous breaches, while a fourth man had been given prior warnings.
A 20-year-old man was fined $1000 in the same vicinity on April 7 after he was found sitting at a picnic table despite being warned on three separate occasions.
A car park wine drinker was also hit with fine after he was found enjoying a glass in a camping chair in the commuter car park on North Pde, Mt Druitt, on April 14.
Police have also charged three people in Mt Druitt this month with COVID-19 offences, including a 27-year-old man at a basketball stadium on Ralph Pl, Mt Druitt, on April 15, following his fifth alleged breach. The repeat offender was also hit with $3000 in fines.
A 29-year-old Plumpton man was charged on Monday after police were called to an alleged brawl at Cleeve Cl, Mt Druitt.
Police say the man had been fined three times and warned on a further four occasions for breaching COVID-19 restrictions when he was hit with the charge.
Police have received creative excuses while enforcing restrictions, with a 22-year-old man telling officers he was on his way to “smoke weed with a friend” before he was hit with a fine.
A 29-year-old man was fined after being pulled over in his car in Whalan on Monday and telling police he was on his way to buy food and cigarettes.
Police checks revealed the man had travelled more than two hours from Kelso, near Bathurst, and would have passed many food outlets on his journey.
Neighbouring Blacktown Police have issued $5000 in fines for COVID-19 breaches.