Lockdown: ‘we need clear guidance’

12 May 2020

Humberside Police Federation chair Pete Musgrave has backed calls for the Government to provide ‘crystal clear’ guidance on social distancing to police officers and the public.

John Apter, national Federation chair, has claimed the public are getting mixed messages about the easing of lockdown measures and says this is making life even more difficult for officers when they are expected to enforce the new rules.

Speaking to Sky News yesterday after Prime Minister Boris Johnson addressed the nation on Sunday evening to say people could go out more, he said some media headlines over the last week had made people believe the lockdown had ended.

He told presenter Kay Burley: “We hear people say [social distancing] ‘it’s about common sense’ but some of the people we deal with don’t use common sense, so the guidance has got to be crystal clear.”

He also called for clarity around when it would be appropriate for officers to issue fines to those breaching social distancing rules.

“I can tell you my colleagues will not be issued with tape measures to check two metre distances. It’s about policing by consent and issuing fines is a last resort. I need to understand why we are doing that because when you increase the level of fine, that could cause greater conflict with the people you’re dealing with,” he said.

Pete says officers will do their best to uphold the law to help protect the public and the NHS but added that clear guidance would help ensure a consistent approach, with the different approaches in England, Wales and Scotland adding to the confusion.

“Police officers are in the front-line of the Government’s response to this crisis. They will, of course, do their utmost to ensure people abide by the new legislation but it would be much easier for them – and the public – if there was clearer guidance from the Government,” he explains.

The new guidance says people can:

• Exercise outside as many times a day as they want - although a limit on the number of exercise sessions has never been enforced by law in England previously.
• Spend time outdoors, other than for exercise, as long as they are not meeting up with more than one person from outside their household while observing social distancing measures by keeping two metres apart, and continuing to wash their hands regularly.
• Drive to outdoor open spaces ‘irrespective of distance’ as long as they observe social distancing rules when there, and do not travel over borders to other parts of the UK where rules are different. Previously, the public were urged not to travel long distances to visit beaches, countryside and beauty spots.

No other specific examples of scenarios where members of the public would be considered to be flouting the rules, and therefore liable for fines, were provided.

Under the new guidelines, fines for people flouting the rules will increase to £100 from tomorrow, lowered to £50 if paid within two weeks, and will double for each repeat offence up to a maximum of £3,200.

The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020 will be updated from tomorrow to reflect the changes coming into effect.

Read the Government’s COVID-19 recovery strategy.