London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

‘I'd wait until I knew the law before making others stick to it’: Brits tear into report that police were confused by Covid laws

‘I'd wait until I knew the law before making others stick to it’: Brits tear into report that police were confused by Covid laws

A report has claimed British police were often confused by coronavirus laws and struggled to enforce them, leaving people questioning why law enforcement were fining people based on guidelines they didn’t understand.

Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) complained in the report that coronavirus restrictions were “often at short notice and subject to change,” leaving officers confused, and “many forces expressed frustration at the way that some government announcements were communicated,” as they “had not been consulted in advance.”

HMICFRS, which is responsible for England and Wales, also reported that many police forces would only receive news of law changes during the government’s televised briefings, leaving them with no preparation, and officers “felt disadvantaged by a lack of notice and consultation.”

"Sometimes what was announced was only guidance and wasn’t followed up with legislation and associated advice. This caused some operational difficulties and created confusion among officers and staff."


Officers were confused as to whether Brits going outside multiple times in a day for exercise was now a punishable crime, among other things, and this led to police making authoritarian “mistakes” like traffic stops and drone surveillance.

These excessive actions put the public’s “confidence in, and support for” the police “at risk,” HMICFRS declared.

Brits on social media, however, questioned why many police officers still actively enforced rules they did not understand – often taking harsh steps to crack down on perceived violations of the coronavirus guidelines.



“Were I a police officer, I would wait until I knew the law before trying to make others stick to it. Especially laws or regulations which suspend or extinguish fundamental freedoms,” commented one user, while another wrote, “If a police officer thinks it's ok stopping a pensioner sitting on a park bench, for example, they shouldn't be doing the job.”

“The problem is a complete lack of any moral and ethical compass,” the user added.

Conservative Forest of Dean MP Mark Harper, a chairman of the Covid Recovery Group, criticised the government’s handling of coronavirus restrictions, arguing that “Signing sweeping laws into force without Parliamentary debate & scrutiny was always bound to cause the police difficulties.”

UK police repeatedly found themselves in the news for their over-the-top and drastic handling of coronavirus guideline enforcement, which was described as “dystopian” and “draconian.”

Derbyshire Police alone made several headlines for its widely condemned handling of the pandemic, which included releasing drone footage of Brits on a walk in an effort to shame them, colouring a picturesque blue lagoon with black dye to put people off from visiting, and fining two women £200 for taking a walk with takeaway cups of tea – claiming that the drinks turned the walk into an unlawful “picnic.”

Other police departments broke up Good Friday church services, threatened Brits with fines for throwing snowballs, and stopped an elderly woman from feeding pigeons, with tensions between civilians and the police heightening after officers violently broke up a London vigil mourning the killing of Sarah Everard.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
×