{"id":891,"date":"2020-04-01T18:18:20","date_gmt":"2020-04-01T18:18:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/?p=891"},"modified":"2020-04-01T18:18:36","modified_gmt":"2020-04-01T18:18:36","slug":"uk-police-lockdown-enforcement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/uk-police-lockdown-enforcement\/","title":{"rendered":"UK Police Lockdown Enforcement"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Coronavirus & Rights: an Unholy Alliance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Published: 1 April 2020<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I wondered how long it would take for the whinging and whining to start about the police being beastly in enforcing the new lockdown. Not long, is the answer. Two articles appeared in the UK media<\/a> this week. Yes, you have guessed right: one in the The Guardian<\/em> the other in The Independent<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guardian<\/em> headline is to do with police over-stretching their powers (is that why they call it \u2018the long arm of the law\u2019?) and The Independent\u2019s<\/em> \u201cCoronavirus lockdown likened to ‘police state’ by former Supreme Court judge\u201d. Hmmm, the Supreme Court, is not that the institution where they<\/em> tried to derail BREXIT?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s look at some quotes from the latter article:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the police under attack by the \u2018usual suspects\u2019, the police response:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are not looking to criminalise people but we have to have some way of enforcing it,\u201d said the NPCC\u2019s lead for out of court disposals, Deputy Chief Constable Sara Glen.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note: Police are not criminalising people. People are criminalising themselves by non-compliance with the lockdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Police having to defend their actions again:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the same briefing, NPCC chair Martin Hewitt denied the police service was \u201can arm of the state\u201d, saying forces were independent and adding: \u201cThere is no intention to be heavy-handed.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note: Brits have been told to stay put<\/a>, so it is not being heavy handed, it is enforcing the lockdown. It is not unusual in the UK to accuse the police of all sorts of things when caught doing something that you know you should not be doing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Numerous arrests have been announced by regional police forces since the law came into force, sparking accusations of overreach.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NB: No, numerous arrests are being made because people are not complying with the lockdown. You haven\u2019t been arrested in your armchair in your sitting room, you have been arrested on the streets because you have broken the rules of lockdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, yes, bring on the performing seals \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Liberty campaign group said the powers had undergone insufficient parliamentary scrutiny and were \u201cvery broad, handing extraordinary new powers to the police\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NB: Yes, well, these are extraordinary times, are they not? As John Steed of The Avengers <\/em>once said as he fired a champagne cork at the villains, \u201cDrastic measures for drastic situations \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Policy and campaigns manager Gracie Bradley added: \u201cDespite the broad scope of these powers, we\u2019ve seen various incidents of police going even further \u2013 and beyond their lawful remit. This makes it impossible for people to know how to comply with these new rules, and challenge police when they overreach.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NB: We don\u2019t want the police to be \u2018challenged\u2019 we need people to comply. Police have an extremely difficult job to do, and they need the full support of the government and the public. We only have to look at the state of British society today to know what happens when police confidence is undermined by over-zealous rights-related ‘scrutiny’: ie \u2018discharging a weapon in the line of duty\u2019 (crucify the cop); the end of \u2018stop and search powers\u2019 = 21st<\/sup> century knife fest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the last two paragraphs bring fresh hope:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At a briefing with journalists on Friday, Boris Johnson\u2019s official spokesman said: \u201cThe police will exercise their own discretion in the use of the powers we have given to them and will take whatever steps they consider appropriate to disperse groups of people who are flouting the rules.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe regulations signed by the health secretary last week set out what the government\u2019s clear instruction to the public is. Having asked the police to enforce that, we would expect them to exercise their own discretion in using the powers.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve said it once and I will say it again: Hoorah for Boris!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think the majority will agree ~ especially those who have lost loved ones through this pandemic ~ that if any time was a good time to put police powers and commonsense above rights ~ especially the right to be selfish and stupid<\/a> ~ then this is that time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UK police lockdown enforcement <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s face it folks, it really is quite straightforward:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The populace of the country has been told to stay indoors for a very good and sensible reason; the police are there to enforce the lockdown to ensure that it is complied with. If you choose to ignore the lockdown, then you can expect to be arrested. Not knowing exactly where you stand is a bit of a feeble excuse, when the presumption should be, if in doubt do not do it, and as it is a minority of people who are unsure about the advice and guidance, such as a child in a park who turns out to be a criminal anyway, adults who interpret lockdown to mean organise a mass Karaoke party or congregate in a suspiciously clandestine way on a hillock up in the Peak District, I think we can safely say, and with some authority, that such people are guilty as charged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"UK
(Photo credit: https:\/\/www.publicdomainpictures.net\/<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When you are caught doing what you know you should not be doing you are likely to be quite arsey, especially if you receive an on-the-spot fine or are otherwise prosecuted. First response: accuse Plod. I mean, who do they think they are? Well, they are the police force, you see (note the word \u2018force\u2019); contrary to umpteen years of disinformation they are not social workers or public relations officers, they are there to police and enforce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let us take it step by step; it is all very elementary:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A. You have been told to stay in your home<\/p>\n\n\n\n

B. You stay in<\/p>\n\n\n\n

C. By doing so you will be helping yourself, and others by not becoming infected, passing the infection on and endangering other people\u2019s lives<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, if you learn your ABC (which does not stand for being Arsey, Bolshie and a Complete T..t) you will mitigate the risk of being spoken harshly to by naughty Mr Policeman, you could avoid a fine and by not catching coronavirus you could save your life and somebody else\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEvenin\u2019 All\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Coronavirus & Rights: an Unholy Alliance Published: 1 April 2020 I wondered how long it would take for the whinging and whining to start about the police being beastly in enforcing the new lockdown. Not long, is the answer. Two articles appeared in the UK media this week. Yes, you have guessed right: one in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[253,256,252,251,254,255,250],"class_list":["post-891","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-meanwhile-in-the-uk","tag-flouting-uk-lockdown","tag-lockdown-guidance-uk","tag-lockdown-rules-uk","tag-rights-police-accuse-uk-police","tag-selfish-brits-flout-lockdown-rules","tag-uk-police-enforce-social-distancing","tag-uk-police-lockdown-enforcement"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1285,"url":"https:\/\/expatkaliningrad.com\/ru\/uk-coronavirus-confusion-strategy\/","url_meta":{"origin":891,"position":0},"title":"UK Coronavirus Confusion Strategy","author":"Captain Codpiece","date":"11 \u043c\u0430\u044f, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"At least we can all die laughing Published: 11 May 2020 The media may be slating Boris Johnson this morning over his obscurantist speech the day before, but I for one found it intensely amusing. 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