IT WAS 3am on Sunday, 7th February, and loud music was coming from a group of around 30 people gathered around some shipping containers in Trowbridge Road, Hackney. Not surprisingly, local residents called the police.
Two officers attended and found a party going on – one which was clearly in breach of the lockdown regulations. They asked people to leave, as they were not able to detain the whole crowd. Afterwards, however, some detective work identified the organiser of the event – and at the start of this month that person was reported for consideration of a £10,000 fine.
Chief Inspector Pete Shaw, who is from the Hackney and Tower Hamlets policing area, said, “Once again, officers put themselves at risk to deal with inconsiderate people who, on this occasion, were packed into a confined and dangerous space. I am incredibly pleased we were able to track down the person responsible for organising this event. Given the dangers these events pose to the infection rate, it is only right that we prove that actions have consequences.
“I hope this hefty fine demonstrates that we will not tolerate blatant breaches of the rules that are in place to keep everyone safe. This sends a clear message that if you organise or facilitate this type of event, which will still be illegal for months to come, then we will do everything we can to find you and issue a large fine. It is frustrating that, almost a year into the pandemic, there are still some people acting so selfishly, especially given the awful human cost from this virus.”
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