A secret memo has revealed that police are being told to ease up on coronavirus fines after a string of infringements were handed out to people doing everyday tasks.
Police have been enforcing stage-three lockdowns across Australia banning all non-essential travel in an attempt to curb the number of people infected with COVID-19.
On-the-spot fines for rule-breakers who leave their homes for reasons other than attending school, visiting a terminally ill relative or excising start at $1,652 in Victoria.
The memo from Victorian police bosses revealed on Monday showed that top cops have concerns that the public are losing faith in law enforcement officers.
It comes after ‘inconsistent’ fines were handed out to those who were unaware they were breaking the new laws.
Last Sunday, 17-year-old Hunter Reynolds was learning to drive with her mother when she was pulled over and fined $1,652.
Hunter Reynolds (pictured), 17, was issued a fine for learning to drive in wet conditions with her mother as the passenger on the weekend
The duo had travelled about 30km from their Hampton home to Frankston in Victoria before a police officer pulled them over and said they were breaking the stage-three restriction rules (pictured: Ms Reynolds with her mother, Sharee)
The policewoman said she was breaking social distancing rules by not keeping 1.5 metres away from another person, even though she was only in the car with her mother.
A cyclist was fined $1,652 last Wednesday for breaching laws after being stopped by police while driving to a mountain bike trial.
The police officer who stopped him scolded him for leaving the house for reasons other than work.
‘If you want to exercise you should do a run around your local area,’ he said, before slapping the cyclist with a fine.
A motorist was given a $1,652 fine for visiting a car wash at 2am in Melbourne.
An ‘essential worker’ has been fined for washing his car at 1.15am. The man shared video footage of him clashing with two Victoria Police officers at a Melbourne car wash on Wednesday (pictured)
The man – who took his dog to the car wash with him (pictured) – also accused the officers of breaking social distancing guidelines by stepping within two metres of his personal space
The man explained he was working 14-hour days providing fresh product to supermarkets and didn’t have time to wash his car during daylight hours.
Officers said washing his car was a non-essential reason for leaving the house.
Earlier this month, Jazz Mott and her husband Garry were fined $3,000 after posting year-old photos of their holiday on Facebook.
The couple were shocked when police arrived at their home days after the post.
Each case was revoked, spurring police bosses to send an email to their colleagues urging them to only issue fines for blatant and intentional breaches of the lockdown regulations.
‘I am concerned that there continues to be an inconsistent approach from our members when enforcing the directives of the Chief Health Officer,’ Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton said in the internal memo, according to The Age.
He explained the lack of discretion when handing out fines undermined the efforts by people trying to do the right thing across the state.
The message was sent to sergeants and senior sergeants to pass on to their juniors and included an example of a case where people were fined for painting the inside of a closed cafe.
He said the fines were designed to keep the community safe rather than as an enforcement model.
‘It is imperative that our actions reflect a community health approach and we rely on enforcement only for high-risk behaviour which is blatant, obvious and deliberate.’
Jazz Mott (left) and her husband Garry (right) were issued with two fines totaling $3,300 for ‘non-essential’ travel after they shared this year-old holiday picture on Facebook
When police showed up to give Ms Mott (pictured) the breach notices, they had no idea the holiday snaps at Lakes Entrance (shown above) were actually from 2019
Mr Patton encouraged officers to weigh up whether a person’s actions are putting other members of the community at risk when decided whether to issue someone with a warning or a fine.
Victorian police issued 250 fines over the Easter long weekend.
More than 20,400 spot checks have been carried out by police ensuring people are following the new protocols since March 21.
As a result, the Flemington and Kensington Community Legal Centre launched a website so residents can report whether police have acted inappropriately.
Reports ranged from people feeling inconvenienced by police questioning to claims of interrogations, searches and arrests.
One person reported being told to go home while walking on the beach with their 81-year-old father.
Pat Riordan, 34, was 15 minutes from his home, driving to a bike trail in Red Hill, when he was pulled over (Pictured: The infringement notice)
They said police followed them home.
Legal centre chief executive Anthony Kelly told the publication that many rules are ‘ill-defined’ and police are causing people ‘distress’.
‘It’s changing people’s behaviour, and not in a positive way, to just increase social distancing because people are already doing that.’
Victorian police also issued more than $100,000 worth of fines over a 24-hour period on Saturday to people blatantly ignoring restrictions.
Nine friends who went to a park in Wyndham Vale, south west of Melbourne, to play a game of rugby were fined.
Police also reported multiple instances of private house parties, including nine people who gathered at a short-stay apartment in Melbourne’s Southbank.
In Queensland, $230,782 worth of fines were given out in just 24 hours on Friday, as police stopped 39,000 cars at the border in just one week.
New South Wales police issued 50 fines of $1,000 each to people allegedly breaching public health orders in the same 24 hours.
Barriers and digital warning signs to keep people off the beach at Maroubra Beach on April 12. New South Wales police issued 50 fines of $1,000 each to people allegedly breaching public health orders over the weekend
A person dressed in an Easter bunny costume meets professional lifeguard at Maroubra Beach on April 12 amid coronavirus lockdowns
They included a couple who were spotted out twice in one day and a woman who claimed she was visiting her father ‘in the bush’ in the Blue Mountains.
Another 32-year-old woman was slapped with the fine after being found in Sydney’s Surry Hills wandering the streets.
Despite being given an official warning the day before, the woman alleged told police ‘it’s a free country’ – and was given a fine.
Across Australia, about $1 million worth of fines have been issued since the coronavirus lockdown began.
