A fine mess for crime chiefs

DURING the pandemic, thousands of people were hit with Covid fines for breaching the rules on Lancashire. By last

June, 4,500 had been issued across Lancashire.

None of the people fined have had the chance to carry on doing what they do and then be allowed to dismiss their breaches of the rules on the grounds that they do loads of other good stuff with their lives.

That’s essentially the position the government has taken, while our local MPs, Jake Berry and Sara Britcliffe, are saying far less about Covid rule breaches when it involves the PM than when they were urging us all to follow the rules in the spring of 2020. (Haslingden MP Sara Britcliffe did find time to post on Facebook encouraging people to vote in the British Kebab Awards, however).

Also saying very little about the issue is Andrew Snowden, the Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner in Lancashire. He wasn’t in office at the time when Covid restrictions were put in place – but many of the thousands of officers he is now responsible for, were.

They were tasked with breaking up meetings in parks, ensuring 2-metre rules were upheld at all times and, of course, making sure illicit house parties were brought to an early close.

Mr Snowden is now in an invidious position, as are all Conservative police and crime commissioners.

Are they Conservatives, where the policy now appears to be that there is one rule for us and another for the prime minister, or are they police and crime commissioners, responsible for ensuring laws and rules are upheld?

Laws, which, if the leader of the country isn’t seen obeying, are unlikely to ever able to be brought into force again?