Renewed scrutiny of Covid laws has surfaced after two women were fined £200 after travelling for a walk in Derbyshire.
Derbyshire Police withdrew the penalties and issued an apology following comments stating that driving to exercise was “not in the spirit” of lockdown.
Director of Big Brother Watch Silkie Carlo said:
“In many forces, police are still misinformed about the laws in place. The Home Secretary’s emphasis on being “tough” seems to have resulted in an outbreak of policing that is unfair, unlawful and frequently nonsensical.”
“Some of the police activity is endangering public health rather than protecting it, and it’s certainly haemorrhaging public trust. The authoritarian approach to policing the pandemic is a dreadfully misguided strategy that is doing major long term damage to civil liberties and the rule of law.”
“We will challenge every example of unlawful and excessive policing we find.”
Independent – Why is it still so difficult to challenge Covid fines?