Covid laws ‘eroded police legitimacy’

Changes in rules were ‘really tricky’ to enforce and harmed credibility, says chief constable

HASTILY passed lockdown laws damaged police legitimacy, one of the country’s most senior police officers has said.

Sir David Thompson, the chief constable of West Midlands Police, said having to enforce the unpopular legislation had been “really tricky” for officers, and he added that “quick law isn’t always great law”.

Addressing his force’s strategic policing and crime board, Sir David said the “constant chopping and changing” around the lockdown laws had also created challenges and that there were lessons to learn for the future.

But he stressed that it had been an “unprecedented” situation and therefore it was difficult to criticise the Government for the way it had responded.

Policing found itself at the sharp end of public criticism during the pandemic as officers grappled with changing laws to enforce lockdown rules.

Some forces faced a public backlash after being accused of being overzealous in their application of the law, including Derbyshire which used drones to film hikers in the Peak District.

There were also questions around the introduction of £10,000 fines for people who flouted the rules. Sir David conceded that such laws had been difficult for officers to apply and had eroded police legitimacy.

Referring to the fines, he said they were not practical because many people simply could not afford to pay them.

He went on: “There are some challenges, as a result of this legislation, which has impacted quite heavily on police legitimacy around what we were asked to do.

“Not since 1829 and the formation of [Sir Robert] Peel’s police has anybody been required to enforce legislation about who can go into somebody’s house. That’s been really tricky.”

He added: “I think people quickly forget what this legislation was there for.”

Sir David said: “I think this, particularly, was the pointy end of quick legislation that wasn’t always great. I think it does exist through what was a constant chopping and changing of legislation as well.

“I think that is the lesson learned, going forward, for public health legislation, if we’re ever here again. That’s not meant as a criticism of anybody because government and others were in a very difficult place.”

He added that the reality of policing in a pandemic meant that some operational day-to-day activities, such as community engagement, “just stopped for 19 months”.

He added: “That’s tricky, at a time where to a large view we’ve been enforcing the public on public health legislation as well.

“Personally, I am very grateful it [the police’s enforcement role] has ended because it was necessary but it has not been great for police-public interaction.”

Earlier this year Dorset’s chief constable said that the pandemic had damaged the public’s relationship with the police.

James Vaughan, who has since retired, said that on the one hand there were those who accused the police of being overzealous while others wanted them to take a tougher line and getting the balance right was difficult.

‘Not since 1829 has anybody been required to enforce legislation about who can go into somebody’s house’