Fault! Ten teenagers are fined $16,000 for gathering at a park - and six others are stung for playing tennis
- The teens were each slapped with a $1,652 fine for gathering in a group of ten
- Another eight young people were fined for meeting up at a closed school
- In the past 24 hours Victorian police have issued 52 fines to rule-breakers
- Learn more about how to help people impacted by COVID
A group of teenagers have been fined more than $16,000 collectively for gathering in a skate park as six others are fined for playing tennis amid coronavirus lockdowns.
In the past 24 hours, Victoria Police have issued 52 fines to rule-breakers who gather in groups of more than two or leave the house for non-essential reasons.
The teens were each slapped with a $1,652 fine for ignoring public health directives and gathering in a group of ten.
Six tennis players were also handed infringement notices.
Tennis is on the list of sports residents are allowed to play but the group were fined for breaching two-person limits.
Another eight young people were fined for meeting up at a closed school.
Police did 824 spot checks between Monday and Tuesday, adding to the 21,757 checks conducted since March 21.
In the past 24 hours Victorian police have issued 52 fines to rule-breakers. Pictured: Victoria Police speak to a man at St Kilda beach in Melbourne, April 13
Victoria Police sdid Police did 824 spot checks between Monday and Tuesday. An officer speak to a man at St Kilda beach in Melbourne on April 13
It comes as a secret memo from Victorian police bosses on Monday showed that top cops have concerns that the public are losing faith in law enforcement officers.
The internal email, sent to sergeants to pass on to junior officers, follows a string of people who have been fined for doing everyday tasks.
Last Sunday, 17-year-old Hunter Reynolds was learning to drive with her mother when she was pulled over and fined $1,652.
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The policewoman said she was breaking social distancing rules by not keeping 1.5 metres away from another person, even though she was only in the car with her mother.
A cyclist was fined $1,652 last Wednesday for breaching laws after being stopped by police while driving to a mountain bike trial.
The police officer who stopped him scolded him for leaving the house for reasons other than work.
'If you want to exercise you should do a run around your local area,' he said, before slapping the cyclist with a fine.
A motorist was given a $1,652 fine for visiting a car wash at 2am in Melbourne.
The man explained he was working 14-hour days providing fresh product to supermarkets and didn't have time to wash his car during daylight hours.
Officers said washing his car was a non-essential reason for leaving the house.
Each case was revoked, spurring police bosses to send an email to their colleagues urging them to only issue fines for blatant and intentional breaches of the lockdown regulations.
Hunter Reynolds (pictured), 17, was issued a fine for learning to drive in wet conditions with her mother as the passenger on the weekend
'I am concerned that there continues to be an inconsistent approach from our members when enforcing the directives of the Chief Health Officer,' Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton said in the internal memo, according to The Age.
He explained the lack of discretion when handing out fines undermined the efforts by people trying to do the right thing across the state.
The message was sent to sergeants and senior sergeants to pass on to their juniors and included an example of a case where people were fined for painting the inside of a closed cafe.
He said the fines were designed to keep the community safe rather than as an enforcement model.
'It is imperative that our actions reflect a community health approach and we rely on enforcement only for high-risk behaviour which is blatant, obvious and deliberate.'
Mr Patton encouraged officers to weigh up whether a person's actions are putting other members of the community at risk when decided whether to issue someone with a warning or a fine.
Pat Riordan, 34, was 15 minutes from his home, driving to a bike trail in Red Hill, when he was pulled over (Pictured: The infringement notice)
