As of yesterday, a total of 101 persons have been arrested in Region Six for breaching the national curfew and other restrictions in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Commander of Region Six Calvin Brutus explained that a number of those arrested were charged, but others have not been due to a backlog in the court system as a result of COVID-19 measures.
Brutus said that there was a three-day education programme after the institution of the COVID-19 emergency measures in April. However, he added that the police are still exercising some amount of flexibility with persons, depending on the explanations given, since it may be possible that some are not fully aware of the restrictions now in place.
Brutus pointed out that the police have noticed an increase in at-home social activities within the region, such as house parties, domestic travel, and the operation of non-essential businesses, such as bars.
Additionally, he said there were some breaches by religious organisations that warranted them taking action.
That being said, he noted that overall there is a high level of compliance when compared with the arrests that have been made.
He did concede that the number of arrests may not accurately reflect the number of persons not abiding by the restrictions.
Meanwhile, Brutus stated that within the region there has been a decrease in the number of road accidents and in robberies, while there has been an increase in murders and break and enter and larceny crimes, most of which have occurred during the curfew period.
