‘Exercise in your local area’ How city officers will police lockdown
AVON and Somerset Police have explained how they will decide if people will be fined for their actions when it comes to exercising and outdoor activities during the latest lockdown.
Last week, two women were fined £200 each for driving seven miles to take a walk in Derbyshire – but the police force has since said it was reviewing the fixed penalty notices after being criticised for its “intimidating” approach.
And here in Bristol, the council urged people to stay local to exercise if possible at the weekend as outdoor spaces at Ashton Court, Oldbury Common and Blaise Castle became crowded.
However, Government guidance – which classes exercise as a “reasonable excuse” to leave your home – isn’t clear on what ‘local’ means exactly.
Instead, it just says: “You can continue to exercise alone, with one other person or with your household or support bubble. This should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area.”
The Cabinet Office has since clarified that the term ‘local area’ hasn’t been legally defined but that people should be “sensible” about this.
It has said that people should stay local in their village, town or the part of the city where we live.
Avon and Somerset Police said in a statement: “We would ask that people follow the regulations, only travel when it is essential and take exercise locally to their home address, in order to save lives and protect the NHS.
“We are being guided by Government advice which states that ‘you should not travel outside your local area’ for exercise.
“The guidance from the NPCC currently is that there is no reference to any distances in the legislation, therefore officer discretion around what is reasonable will determine the course of action to be taken.”
It continued: “The use of the 4Es - Engage, Explain, Encourage and if necessary, Enforce - is still key, and officers are working on the basis that an individual must have a reasonable excuse and exception to be outside their household.”
In another part of the country, a public health leader made it very clear and said: “Use the nearest park, not the nicest park.”