Victoria-NSW border: Two people fined breaching closure from 150,000 cars let through
More drug charges have been handed out at NSW border checkpoints than fines for trying to cross without a valid reason since it was closed last week.
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Only two travellers from more than 150,000 cars have been penalised trying to cross into NSW from Victoria without a valid reason since the border was closed last week.
NSW Police said on Friday morning they had helped facilitate more than 150,000 cars safely cross the border since it was closed at midnight on July 8 due to a second coronavirus outbreak in Victoria.
Just two have been penalised for breaching the public health order, with one person charged and another issued a penalty infringement notice.
A Barnawartha man, 34, was arrested and charged on July 8 with not complying with a noticed direction after allegedly refusing multiple requests to return to Victoria at Wahgunyah as he didn’t have a valid exemption.
NSW Police said the man’s wife and three children complied with the request and returned to Victoria.
The Public Health (COVID-19 NSW and Victorian Border) Order 2020, under section 7 of the Public Health Act 2010, states no one can enter NSW from Victoria unless they meet specific exemption criteria.
NSW Police said it was an offence to enter NSW from Victoria without a valid exemption.
Those who fail to comply with an order face a maximum penalty of up to $11,000 and/or six months in jail, with the standard penalty being a $1000 fine.
Since the start of Operation Border Control more than 220,000 people have successfully gained an exemption from Service NSW, with more than 140,000 of those border residents.
More people have been hit with drugs charges at border checkpoints than fines, with police making several additional arrests after criminal offences were detected, including drug possession, weapon possession and drink-driving.
A drug-affected Albury man, 39, who was a passenger in a car trying to cross the border on July 13, was charged with supplying a prohibited drug after police allegedly found methylamphetamine concealed within a cigarette packet in the vehicle.
The man was granted bail to reappear at Albury Local Court on September 1 and has also been required to self-isolate for 14 days.
A Tocumwal man, 28, and a Queensland man, 24, were each charged with supplying a prohibited drug and dealing with property proceeds of crime after being stopped at the border checkpoint on the Newell Highway in Tocumwal.
Operation Border Control Commander, Assistant Commissioner Scott Whyte, said police would continue to work with local communities to ensure the safe flow of traffic between borders.
“We are dealing with a police operation that is dynamic and constantly evolving, and police are constantly assessing the operation with a view to being flexible with our resources on the ground,” he said.
“We have thousands of vehicle movements facilitated every hour, and we are working 24 hours a day to ensure the protection of our communities.”
Originally published as Victoria-NSW border: Two people fined breaching closure from 150,000 cars let through