‘No need for local justice’ says North Wales Police chief after Liverpool family told to leave Anglesey for own safety

The chief constable of North Wales Police says there is “no need” for people in the region to take matters into their own hands if they spot someone flouting the coronavirus lockdown regulations.

The comments by Carl Foulkes come after a family from Liverpool was told to leave their Anglesey holiday home for their own safety by officers.

Police were called earlier this week after reports of “heightened tensions” in the village of Llandegfan, after it emerged that the family had arrived at their second home having travelled from the north west of England.

Speaking on BBC Radio Wales this morning, Mr Foulkes said he understood why people are concerned about those ignoring the Welsh legislation due to the pressure placed on the region’s health services.

However, he said it was important for residents to report any incidents to the police directly rather than attempt to confront visitors themselves.

He said: “We’ve got to bear in mind that some of our communities are genuinely concerned about people coming into the area.

“We’ve talked about protecting that valuable NHS infrastructure that is there, and we are limited in North Wales, more specifically in the rural communities.

“We are asking people to do the right thing because people are scared of this virus and they’re scared of the impact of it has so you can understand when community tensions do rise.

“There is no place for local justice. If people have got concerns then report it to North Wales Police.

“We’re there to support our local community, we’re there to support people who have got businesses in North Wales. We are their force, and we will do the right thing.”

Mr Foulkes said around 200 fixed penalty notices had been handed out in the region since lockdown began.

He added they had only been dished out where required, such as to visitors travelling from the Midlands and London.

Although there has been criticism of the difference in fine levels between England and Wales, the chief constable insisted the force has a positive relationship with the Welsh Government.

With a 15 per cent increase in traffic on the roads this week alone, he also urged people to stay away from North Wales over the weekend, despite the warm weather forecast.

He said: “No matter what the penalty is at the end of it, people ultimately need to listen to the advice as 33,000 people have tragically lost their lives in this crisis across the UK.

“We all want to make sure we come out of this and we all want to make sure that we’ve got our loved ones with us when we do.

“The vast majority of second homes are still empty and we’re really grateful to people for following that advice, but we have engaged with everybody there just to explain the fact that people shouldn’t be in their second homes if they travelled during this period.

“Please come back and please come and visit us after the crisis is over. The restrictions are really clear, and that is for essential travel only.”