Covid-19: Policing the pandemic

This project examines non-compliance with public health regulations during the Covid-19 pandemic in Scotland, focusing on how health and social vulnerabilities were associated with police enforcement. By linking Police Scotland enforcement records with health data, it provides evidence to inform future regulatory and public health responses to emergencies.

This project began through the research team’s involvement in advising Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority during the course of the Covid-19 pandemic.

For the first time in Scotland, approval was granted in 2021 to link health data to police records of those who were subject to enforcement for non-compliance with the public health regulations.

The data

• Police Scotland Fixed Penalty Notices data
• Public Health Scotland's Covid-19 Database

Research team

Professor Susan McVie, Vicky Gorton (University of Edinburgh) and Dr Allison Kurpiel (University of South Carolina)

Research lead, Susan McVie, received funding from the UKRI/ESRC's Covid-19 Rapid Response Award (Grant Reference ES/W001845/1) to conduct this linked data project.

This data linkage was conducted as part of the Policing the Pandemic in Scotland project, with Dr Kath Murray (independent researcher) and Dr Ben Matthews (University of Stirling).

Publications, outputs and media coverage

• June 2020 - Interim report on data for the Independent Advisory Group on Police Use of Temporary Powers related to the Coronavirus Crisis
• August 2020 - Data report on Police Use of Fixed Penalty Notices under the Coronavirus Regulations in Scotland (FPN report)
• February 2021 - Second data report on Police Use of Fixed Penalty Notices under the Coronavirus Regulations in Scotland (FPN 2nd report)
• July 2021 - Introductory Blog: How did Scotland police the pandemic?
• August 2021 - Third Data Report on Police use of Fixed Penalty Notices under the Coronavirus Regulations in Scotland: March-Dec 2020
• August 2021 - Data Report on Police Charges reported to Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service under the Coronavirus Regulations: March 2020-June 2021
• Jan 2022 - 1919 Magazine - Policing the pandemic (interim results of the 18-month project)
• Aug 2022 - BBC - People in deprived areas more than twice as likely to get fines
• Aug 2022 - The Herald - Covid: One in four lockdown fines issued in most deprived areas
• Aug 2022 - The Guardian - Middle-class Scots ran out of patience with Covid rules in second lockdown
• August 2022 - Payment Outcomes of Police Fixed Penalty Notices registered by the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service during the Coronavirus Pandemic .pdf
• August 2022 - Fourth data report on Police use of Covid19 Fixed Penalty notices in Scotland from March 2020 to May 2021.pdf
• March 2023 - NPCC-Report.pdf
• March 2023 - News- When did Police use of Fixed Penalty Notices peak (27 March 2020 to 31 May 2021)?
• May 2023 - The Guardian: Those in poorest areas were seven times more likely to be fined
• March 2024 - From Parking Tickets to the Pandemic: Fixed Penalty Notices, Inequity and the Regulation of Everyday Behaviours
• June 2025 - Impact Case Study: Shaping policing practice and informing scrutiny during Covid-19 in Scotland
• June 2025 - Investigating the association between health vulnerabilities and police enforcement during the Covid-19 pandemic: A novel study using linked administrative data in Scotland