Four new arrests over lockdown offences

Wednesday 15 April 2020

Police arrested two men over lockdown offences over the Easter weekend, as well another two on Tuesday.

Sergio Paulo Soares (47) and Helder Miguel de Freitas (39) have been charged, and will appear at Magistrate’s Court later this month.

The two other men – both 33 – have not been charged yet and have been released on bail in the meantime. 

A fifth individual aged 71 was also arrested over the Easter weekend, but was later released without charge.

Four other people have previously been arrested and fined a total of £1,700 between them before the Magistrate’s Court.

In addition to the arrests, the Police, who are working closely with the Honorary force, issued 178 words of advice to islanders over the long weekend. 

In total, they stopped 103 pedestrians or groups of pedestrians whom they had reasonable grounds to believe were not complying with restrictions.   

They also stopped 3,302 vehicles and made 132 visits to local beaches and parks.  

On Monday, the Force thanked islanders for their cooperation in a post published on their Facebook page.

“You’re being asked to make big changes to your way of life for the benefit of others - you’re doing so willingly and with smiles on your faces,” the post read. 

“We’ve spoken to hundreds of Islanders over the weekend and the vast majority are sticking to the rules.  

“We can’t do this without you so please keep playing your part and we’ll be there with you for as long as it takes.” 

Video: The Police decided to inject a loo-py bit of humour into their daily patrols.

Yesterday, to show appreciation for the support islanders have shown in these extraordinary times, they released a short video showing several officers passing a toilet roll between each other. 

It has since gained more than 1,500 'likes' and racked up over 40,000 views.