Are the police taking action against Covid too far?

Police were now wondering if they were taking the crackdown on Covid too far when officers came across two friends after driving just five miles for a walk in the park – before claiming their cups of tea were illegal because they "counted as a picnic".

Jessica Allen had arrived at Foremark Reservoir in Derbyshire for a socially distant stroll with Eliza Moore – although it's not the closest park just 10 minutes from her home – when they were surrounded by officials reading their rights and one at a time Fined £ 200.

Ms. Allen, a beautician from nearby Ashby-de-la-Zouch, said she assumed "someone was murdered" when she saw a police van, a police car and several officers at the entrance to the beauty site.

& # 39; It was a short trip and only took about ten minutes. I really thought someone had been murdered when I got there; The place is usually so quiet, ”she said.

“Next, my car is surrounded. I got out of my car and thought, "There's no way they're coming to talk to us." They immediately start questioning us. One of them started reading my rights and I looked at my friend and thought, "This must be a joke."

I said we came in separate cars, even parked two spaces away, and even brought our own drinks. He said, "You can't because it's classified as a picnic."

Ms. Moore, who works as cabin crew for British Airways and runs a makeup business, said she was "stunned" at the time, did not challenge the police and gave her details so they could file a firm criminal complaint.

"Seeing just one policeman is pretty scary for some people, and we really didn't expect to be approached and to find out we'd done anything wrong," she said.

"We don't want to get away with breaking the rule, but it seems a little unfair that you can be punished for something so vague."

The two were also told that their cups of Starbucks mint tea were not allowed because it was being classified as a picnic.

The guidelines for the current lockdown say that people can travel to exercise "while they are close", but do not specify how far people can travel.

Derbyshire Police insisted that the distance was "at the discretion" of each officer and that the trip was "not in accordance with the rules".

The force, previously criticized for its persistent approach to enforcing restrictions, released drone footage of dog walkers in the Peak District in March to "shame" them.

And in March, the troop threw black dye into a famous blue lagoon in Harpur Hill, near Buxton, to prevent Instagrammers from posing for snaps during the lockdown.

It comes as police forces stepped up enforcement of Covid regulations across the country.

In Aberdeen, two police officers knocked on a family's front door following complaints from a neighbor and stormed in when a woman shouted, "This is my house, get out of my house" and children screamed in the background.

Two women, aged 18 and 48, and a 43-year-old man were charged in connection with assaulting police officers and threatening and abusive behavior.

The footage immediately sparked controversy. Critics accused police of "suppressive" behavior of storming into a private home – while others argued they were just trying to enforce the Covid rules.

Officials were seen in Euston this morning stopping passengers to ask where they were going. Barrister Alex Wright tweeted, "Good to see Lockdown being taken seriously, but a sad sight that I would have dreamed of seeing in London."

Snowdonia National Park has now closed all of its parking spaces to visitors to "protect our communities and the NHS" as officials beat up the public for "disobeying" the law.

To clarify the guidelines, Leicester City Council's Public Health Director Professor Ivan Browne urged residents today to "visit your next park, not your most beautiful park," Leicester Live reported.

Priti Patel said yesterday it was "right" for officials to confront Brits sitting on park benches, arguing that police should stop people and ask them to know why they are outside their homes.

It came when the police said they would punish people the first time they were caught wearing no face covering or being outside for no appropriate reason.

As the crackdown continued –

• Officials in England and Wales have imposed more than 30,000 fines under the coronavirus law since the pandemic began
• Police Scotland has filed more than 7,000 criminal complaints against people violating coronavirus rules and arrested 550 people.
• Police cars patrolled the market square in Ely this morning to make sure people were following the rules and the benches were taped off.
• Crewe police fined two maskless men who bought beer at 3 a.m. after claiming they were unaware of the lockdown.
• In Nottinghamshire, 20 athletes fled the World Physiques Gym after police raided the venue.
• In Rochester, Kent, a pub was licensed and closed after repeated bans.
• A pub in Eastbourne was fined £ 1,000 after a punter was found hiding in the toilets after an illegal drinking lesson.
• The angry pub owner posted a sign on his notice board in the meetinghouse asking the villager to report after he was reported to the police.
• Brits abroad were told they had five days to get home or they couldn't return without a negative Covid test.
• Boris Johnson promised to speed up the vaccination campaign in the UK and deliver 200,000 doses a day with the army. The prime minister slammed Covid deniers and urged them to "grow up" while NHS chief Sir Simon Stevens criticized their "lies" about the emptiness of hospitals.
• Mayor of London Sadiq Khan haDeclaring a "major incident" about the increase in Covid-19 cases in the capital's hospitals, s said: "The situation in London is critical now as the virus is spreading out of control."

Jessica Allen said she was taking the pandemic "very seriously" as her brother is a doctor who works on a Covid ward in London and her parents both had coronavirus.

She said she drove to the reservoir knowing it would be less crowded than near her home.

"I'm self-employed, but my business is closed and I'm trying to fill my time," she said.

“I suffer from fear and when you walk by the water you feel so much better. I live alone five days a week and the only thing I can look forward to is planning a walk with my boyfriend. & # 39;

She said dealing with the law was "very intimidating" and made her fearful of the police.

"I was so upset after that," she said. & # 39; The fact that they read my rights. I thought & # 39; am I going to jail for a walk? & # 39;

"I'm not a criminal, but we were treated like we were criminals and I really felt for the people who were wrongly arrested and questioned by the police because it wasn't a nice situation to be here."

Derbyshire Police said in a statement: “Driving to a location – where movement could easily have been brought closer to a person's home – is clearly not in line with national efforts to reduce our travel to the possible spread of the disease to decrease and decrease the number of deaths.

"Each officer will use professional judgment on a case-by-case basis. However, people should expect to be challenged and understand the clear reasons why they will be asked about their moves given the critical situation the NHS is currently in can."

"It is up to each civil servant to decide on a case-by-case basis what is appropriate as the law does not prohibit removal."

The College of Policing said: "Overall, police officers across England and Wales will use their own discretion and professionalism to assess whether someone has a reasonable excuse for traveling to exercise and being outside of the place where they live."

Local MP Andrew Bridgen tweeted, “I am concerned that my constituents will face fines from the Derbyshire police for training in what I would classify as a local area. It is important that common sense be used in enforcing guidelines, and a fine instead of issuing guidelines seems to be too zealous. & # 39;

It was a video that was taped in Aberdeen on Wednesday at 11:20 pm before it was shared online. It showed a police officer standing in the hallway of a house when a woman was being held back by another man.

She said: & # 39; My house. This is bullying. This is my house. Get out of my house. I didn't ask you here. & # 39;

A young boy can be seen in the video when the woman's daughter said, "Just stop it, Mom".

A police spokesman said: "We received a complaint from a member of the public about a coronavirus violation at a property in Aberdeen on Wednesday, January 6, 2021 at around 11:20 pm.

"Officials participated and two women (ages 18 and 48) and a 43-year-old man have been charged in connection with assaults on police officers and threatened and abusive behavior and are being reported to the Fiscal Prosecutor."

Just hours after Home Secretary Priti Patel gave her support yesterday, it emerged that officials in Birmingham were interviewing a couple with a stroller to ask what shops they had in town.

In Ely, Cambridgeshire, disturbing images highlighting the harsh reality of Lockdown 3.0 showed that the seats in the city center were taped to prevent people from using them.

Snowdonia National Park decided yesterday to close its parking lots after the number of people violating Covid rules increased.

Officials said people could only participate in exercises that started and ended in their own home.

Nigel Harrison, Temporary Police Commissioner of North Wales, Constable, said, “We understand that people want to go outside to enjoy the mountains and snow. However, this is a national emergency and we will continue to work with our national park counterparts to ensure that the Welsh Government restrictions on essential travel are respected. & # 39;

The World Physiques Gym in Mansfield was searched by police on Monday. One person at the venue was fined £ 1,000 and another £ 200 for violating Covid's guidelines.

In Rochester, license officials forced the Hop and Rye pub to close after finding six people drinking during the second lockdown on November 28 last year.

Police spotted two maskless men in Crewe yesterday at 3am getting out of a taxi before going into a store and buying a case of beer.

When approached by Cheshire police officers, they said they were unaware of the lockdown and the way the coronavirus is spreading.

According to national lockdown rules, face masks must be worn in stores unless otherwise medically exempted.

A Cheshire police spokesman said: "Officers yesterday reported two men for violating lockdown rules.

Officers were patrolling Crewe at 3 a.m. when they spotted two men exiting a taxi with no face covering.

As they were leaving the store, officers approached the men to explain the lockdown rules while reiterating the importance of wearing face covers.

The men said they did not know there was a lockdown, nor did they know how their actions could lead to the transmission of the coronavirus to others.

"The officers informed the men that they would each receive a fixed criminal complaint (FPN) for their apparent violation of the coronavirus rules."

Exercise and important travel are the only reasons people are allowed to leave their homes.

In Crowborough, East Sussex, the local running track was closed today due to a ban on sports facilities.

It came when a police officer was stopped by officers from his own force and asked where he was going during the coronavirus lockdown.

Insp Lee Wiggan was on his way to a meeting at his police headquarters on Wednesday when a police officer asked him to justify his movements. It comes when police said they would improve the approach to lockdown violations and fined £ 200 for anyone who goes out for no good reason.

Insp Wiggan, who covers the Ladywood East area of ​​Birmingham, was on his way to the meeting in downtown at the Lloyd House headquarters of the West Midlands Police.

It came when an angry pub owner posted a sign on the notice board of his meetinghouse telling villagers to run away after being reported to the police.

Keith Waterhouse, who owns Badger & # 39; s Holt in Bridgetown, Somerset, posted the note at Bridgetown Village Hall after police officers visited him after it was reported that he had violated Covid-19 rules the previous day .

The note read: “Whoever the bad, vengeful guy is who reports me to the police for a totally false breach of the Covid rules, has to speak to me first and find out the truth.

Meanwhile, in London yesterday, a man stopped outside Hammersmith Tube Station was asked to give his name and address, which officials recorded and verified, and the reason for his trip. The man was allowed to enter the station and travel on, but refused to comment on whether he had been fined.

An official told MailOnline: "We are all over the region enforcing the laws of Covid and making sure people are not there for the right reasons. If you are not there or have no valid reason to be outside, you will be fined. & # 39;

However, the police officer announced that they had not imposed a single fine because most of the people followed the rules. say, "I think the message is getting through that you should only be outside for essential reasons."

In Birmingham yesterday, an exchange between two officers and a couple with a stroller walking through the city center ended when the man pulled cash out of his pocket and told officers they were going to pay money at a bank.

The pedestrian, who did not want to be named, said, “I don't know why they chose us.

“They just asked why we were in the city center and when I explained the bank they left it at that. I think it's really just a matter of control. & # 39;

The same pair of police officers then interviewed two men languishing at a shop door and threatened one with a £ 250 fine if he did not leave.

Isaac, 33, who only gave his first name, said, “I have to go downtown to get my methadone from the Boots pharmacy.

“During the first lockdown, they gave us two weeks to prevent us from making so many trips, but this time they only give it for one day so we have to be back tomorrow.

"The officers were very fair because my friend is not really allowed to go downtown and could have received a £ 250 fine on the spot and not just a warning."

His friend Luke, 34, who also refused to give a surname, added, “Methadone is not something you want to pick up near you, so I'm coming downtown.

& # 39; These officers were fair. They told us not to hang out and make our way home.

"Another officer would have taken a much tougher approach."