By Digital Desk Staff
Gardaí have used their Covid-19 enforcement powers 702 times since April, according to the latest Policing Authority report.
103 of these instances were recorded over the past month, though gardaí have not provided the authority with a breakdown of the powers used.
Enforcement powers were most used in the North West Garda region, which comprises ten counties including Galway and Louth, with action taken on 242 occasions since Covid-19 regulations first came in to force.
Over the past month, almost 18,000 checkpoints were conducted while over 12,000 visits were made to licensed premises by gardaí.
Spitting and fines
There were also 31 incidents of people spitting or coughing at gardaí recorded over the same period.
Members of the force used anti-spit hoods six times between October 9th and November 9th.
The Policing Authority has warned it may be some time before gardaí are able to issue fines to people found breaching Covid-19 rules, as the measures allowing for on-the-spot fines were signed into law last month.
The authority said that work remains to implement the system of fines, however, it noted that Level 5 restrictions had been comprehensively observed by the public to date.
