Enforcement action taken following student parties in Portsmouth and Southampton.

A total of twenty-seven people have been reported for summons in relation to £800 fixed penalty notices following two student parties in Portsmouth and Southampton this month.

We’re highlighting these two examples to remind people just how serious Covid-19 related incidents like this are. The opportunities for transmission of the virus in circumstances like this are numerous. The people attending these parties were putting themselves and their loved ones at risk, not to mention the wider community. It’s actions like this that place increased and unnecessary pressure on the NHS.

Under the current national restrictions you should not be meeting with anyone outside of your household or support bubble, either indoors or outdoors, to limit the spread of Covid-19.

Shortly after 1:30am on Saturday 20 February we were called to Catherine House on Stanhope Road in Portsmouth. Three men had entered the student halls without ID, subsequent enquiries by the security team in the building had identified a party. Officers attended and seventeen people, all aged between eighteen and twenty-one, were reported for summons in relation to £800 fixed penalty notices.

The incident follows a party in Southampton on Wednesday 3 February in shared student accommodation on St Mary’s Road at around 8pm. More than twenty people were reported to be attending the party prior to police arrival. Ten people were subsequently reported for summons in relation to £800 fixed penalty notices by officers at the scene.

Superintendent Phil Lamb said: “While a roadmap to exiting this period of national restrictions is being announced by the Government, it is important to remember that the current Health Protection Regulations are still in place until the restrictions are lifted. Anyone who does not follow the regulations faces enforcement action.

“The risk of transmission of the virus is still very real and those who have received a vaccination should not presume they are exempt from the rules either. The message remains simple, you should stay at home, unless you have a valid reason for going out.

“We have a good relationship with students in Portsmouth and Southampton through our close links with our partners at the Universities. However it’s disappointing to see that we’re still having to take enforcement action at gatherings like this. It is important to stress though that the vast majority of students across Hampshire have observed the current national restrictions.

"Limiting the spread of infection is everybody’s responsibility, and not just down to the police or enforcement. We will continue to work with our health colleagues, businesses, government, hospitality owners, local authorities, universities, and others, as we ensure that we all play our part in keeping our communities as safe as possible throughout the pandemic”.