Warning of ‘unrest’ as people tire of lockdown
SCOTLAND i s entering a ‘winter of discontent’ as growing numbers of people become resentful at strict coronavirus measures, a former police chief has warned.
Ex-deputy chief constable Tom Wood yesterday claimed tough restrictions and the additional strain on police is causing a ‘combustible’ atmosphere.
Although officers are so far coping, he said there is a rise in the number of people becoming resentful and flouting measures put in place to help suppress coronavirus.
He issued a warning yesterday ahead of the introduction of a fivelevel system of restrictions in Scotland, which could see strict measures in place for much of the winter.
This includes over the Christmas holiday, with different parts of the country facing different levels of curbs – including whether or not they will be allowed to welcome relatives into their own homes to celebrate the festive period.
Mr Wood said Covid-19 had led to ‘severe restrictions being imposed on our freedoms’.
Writing in The Scotsman, he said: ‘Now over six months in, and facing a long winter of lockdowns, the mood in many places is resentful and rebellious. A mixtures of being fed up, frustrated and fearful makes for a combustible combination.
‘It all adds up to mean that the coming winter could be a severe test of our traditional policing model.’
Mr Wood said Police Scotland had been able to ‘deploy sufficient resources quickly and effectively’ so far. He added: ‘But be in no doubt, it is a fine margin, and as we enter a long hard winter of discontent, it behoves us all, particularly our leaders, to consider our language and behaviour carefully.’
His comments came amid fears Scots will be forced to have a ‘digital Christmas’ this year with current restrictions on household gatherings banning socialising indoors.
National clinical director Professor Jason Leitch said that large, traditional, family gatherings will be a ‘fiction’ this year.
But yesterday Deputy First Minister John Swinney said that having a f amily Christmas depends on lowering the prevalence of Covid-19 in the coming weeks.
Speaking on the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme, he said: ‘If we engage effectively in the measures and the restrictions that the Government is putting in place just now, then we increase the chances of being able to share more time with family around Christmas time, but that very much depends… on the success that we have in reducing the prevalence of the virus.’
Asked whether he thought the public was losing patience with restrictions, Mr Swinney said: ‘I think what people are prepared to be persuaded by is the evidence.
‘The evidence is we are seeing an increase of fatalities as a consequence of coronavirus, we are seeing our hospitals filling up again. These are the loved ones of members of our society.
‘We’ve got to essentially as individuals respect the fact our fellow human beings are going through a lot of suffering and we’ve got to do our bit to help them out.
‘That’s the basis upon which public compliance has been founded and can be founded in the future.’
Police in Scotland can issue fixed penalty notices of £30, rising to £60, f or those who break l ockdown restrictions.
If a person has already received a fixed penalty notice, the amount increases to £120 and doubles on each further repeat offence up to a maximum of £960.
‘Resentful and rebellious’