Police checking travel

Mojo · 3 Jan 2021

bramling said:
All very odd; I suspect there’s a bit more to it than meets the eye, as that does seem a hell of a lot of police resource just for people socialising in a park.

It’s them clamping down on protests at Speakers’ corner, which occurred yesterday and today.

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Skimpot flyer · 3 Jan 2021

bramling said:
All very odd; I suspect there’s a bit more to it than meets the eye, as that does seem a hell of a lot of police resource just for people socialising in a park.

I love the way one sees the police van fully laden with officers.

Maybe this was at Cressida’s request, as I can certainly say that my recent professional dealings with police have unfailingly shown their attitude to be akin to this forum, if not more so.

You’ll have to take my word for it, but this sort of thing is not uncommon in London.
It might not get reported on BBC/ITV/Sky but you can find countless examples of this on YouTube.

C J Snarzell · 4 Jan 2021

bramling said:
All very odd; I suspect there’s a bit more to it than meets the eye, as that does seem a hell of a lot of police resource just for people socialising in a park.

I love the way one sees the police van fully laden with officers.

Maybe this was at Cressida’s request, as I can certainly say that my recent professional dealings with police have unfailingly shown their attitude to be akin to this forum, if not more so.

That proves yet again what an incompetent leader Cressida Dick is. She should never have been promoted again after the Stockwell shooting in 2005. She turned 60 not so long ago with 40 years service so it's defo time for her to take her big fat pension and retire.

CJ

jumble · 4 Jan 2021

FLIRTfan18 said:
Not an entirely unreasonable suggestion. Those who incessantly winge about the various operators forgetting to say "unless exempt" on the end of their tweets reminding about masks are often, upon further investigation of their profiles, either anti-mask, Covid hoax conspiracists, or simply those who don't believe in restrictions.
I'm not suggesting all, or indeed any, of the people on the forum have these intentions, but there are certainly those out there who will join the bandwagon, as it were, to emphasise that you don't have to wear a mask in order to push their own causes. And let's be honest, this thread has established very clearly that if you don't want to wear a mask, you simply don't have to wear one as long as you are willing to say "I'm exempt", regardless of whether you are exempt or not. I feel it is completely impossible to justify that, what with the many many thousands of people are not here to see in the new year let alone to do something as simple as to prove to the police an exemption (which as explained below can be far from evasive and stressful)
I still maintain that, were I exempt, which technically I am but do not exercise it, I would out of respect for my fellow passengers provide a reason as to why I was not wearing a mask. Because, as we are so concerned about rights of individuals here, I believe that any passenger on a train has the right to not share a carriage with a passenger who is not wearing a mask unless it is absolutely necessary.
I'm not saying the various people on here are necessarily wrong about the law. I think the law is wrong. There should be a simple and as non evasive way as possible to prove exemption. Simple. As has been referred to before on the thread I've never known anyone to think that a disabled blue badge is an Infringement of their rights. And if they don't want one, they don't get one, and they can't park in a disabled place. Of course, this is something that should have been organised long before now

I am sorry to say that I do not agree with your views as I think they are discriminatory

I cannot see how anyone being exempt as according to the LAW below could possibly provide proof of their exemption.

"where putting on, wearing or removing a face covering will cause you severe distress"

I am not sure you have thought this through as you seem to be suggesting that other passengers's views take priority or perhaps you think such people should have to go and have their distress put on their medical records for no good reason except to please people they don't know who could not care less about the reason why the person is exempt.
We live in a democracy and the law dictates that distressed non mask wearer trumps the other passengers wishes and if they don't like it they can chose not to travel by train
I find a lot of things other passengers do on trains objectionable ( Loud Music etc) but that is tough

Your comparison to Disabled blue badges is badly flawed as it is trivial for a doctor to validate a claim

You remind me of the people who complain about airlines having too many people allowed on board and so they could not social distance.
Those people need to be asked "are you the one too many on this flight?"

Skimpot flyer · 4 Jan 2021

Neither the police officer nor the teenager comes out of this encounter particularly well, but the officer is clearly frustrated that the youngster knows that proof of exemption is not required under the law.
I don’t know if he is a chancer or genuinely exempt, but it’s no wonder some of those who ARE exempt are fearful of encountering this kind of police officer.
I am perfectly capable of keeping an even temper and asserting my rights; many others however are not

PHILIPE · 4 Jan 2021

C J Snarzell said:
That proves yet again what an incompetent leader Cressida Dick is. She should never have been promoted again after the Stockwell shooting in 2005. She turned 60 not so long ago with 40 years service so it's defo time for her to take her big fat pension and retire.

CJ

She is like too many of the top police are now and too politically correct infected.

C J Snarzell · 4 Jan 2021

PHILIPE said:
She is like too many of the top police are now and too politically correct infected.

If you read about the recent scandal involving GMP you'll see how bad the top police chiefs are and how much they decieve the public and malipulate the media.

CJ

6Gman · 4 Jan 2021

Skimpot flyer said:
Then you’ll both doubtless applaud police in Hyde Park today asking people for proof that they are from the same household (check the video from around 0m55s).

We are just moments away from having to ‘carry our documents’ like in pre-unification Germany. Wunderbar!

I am not responsible for the actions of the Metropolitan Police.

TheSel · 4 Jan 2021

C J Snarzell said:
That proves yet again what an incompetent leader Cressida Dick is. She should never have been promoted again after the Stockwell shooting in 2005. She turned 60 not so long ago with 40 years service so it's defo time for her to take her big fat pension and retire.

CJ

Ah yes - 'Dick, head of Police' as she could quite reasonably and politely be introduced in formal circles.

C J Snarzell · 4 Jan 2021

TheSel said:
Ah yes - 'Dick, head of Police' as she could quite reasonably and politely be introduced in formal circles.

With a name like 'Dick' of the Yard she would be an ideal character for Ben Elton's 'Thin Blue Line' sitcom.

CJ

ValleyLines142 · 4 Jan 2021

I find the whole exemption claim a real grey area, and it must be a nightmare for the police who are simply just trying to do their jobs.

The most common excuse is asthma, yet my friend is severely asthmatic and can wear a face covering with no issue whatsoever. But then others claim they cannot wear one, which we do just have to accept.

Working in a coffee shop in a heavily student-populated area, all of the students I serve wear them. There are a group of builders that come in and two of them say they're exempt, yet every time they come in they shove their noses under their hi-viz jackets. I told them that if they're exempt then they don't need to, so I caught them out. It just doesn't add up.

I fully appreciate anxiety or rape victims not wearing them, I completely sympathise with that.

It's so difficult because I will never know the real reason why some people do not wear a face mask, but most of the time I feel it's more a case of people either a) can't be bothered to wear one, b) think they look stupid wearing one or c) ruining their look (e.g. make up).

I must admit the ones that I have to wear in work are awful and give me a headache, but I wear a plain black reusable one and can wear it all day long with no issue (and I also wear glasses full time).

Two points I'd like to conclude on. Firstly, frankly if people are exempt because of asthma, I do question why they're in a public place in the height of a respiratory pandemic if they are that vulnerable, and secondly if I personally was exempt I would wear a sunflower lanyard and exemption note to avoid constantly being harassed for asking to wear one. I am required to ask people whether they have one but not to question their reasoning (which I would have no desire to anyway); don't get angry with me for asking. I just think people who refuse to wear them and then get angry for being questioned whether they have one are the ones that form a grey cloud and then get angry when it rains!

bramling · 4 Jan 2021

C J Snarzell said:
With a name like 'Dick' of the Yard she would be an ideal character for Ben Elton's 'Thin Blue Line' sitcom.

CJ

It is incredible she got the promotion, as for most people Stockwell will be how she came to be a household name. I find it pretty unbelievable she managed to get the top job after being involved in such a shambles. To my mind it also shows a rather crass lack of regard for those involved in that incident, either directly or indirectly.

Aside from that she’s very much a political figure, though by no means the only one in recent years.

C J Snarzell · 4 Jan 2021

Without being sexist (because I'm not) there have been a handful of senior female police chiefs who were promoted beyond their capabilities because the policing service cannot be seen to discriminate females.

Dame Dick is sadly not the worst. Justine Curran (long since retired) was probably the worst female police chief ever in this country - she was so bad she was forced out of her job in Humberside because the whole workforce did a vote of 'no confidence' on her.

Anyone from Manchester who remembers the carnage caused by the Rangers v Zenit St Petersburg final in 2008 will recall how badly the police lost control of the streets of the city for several hours. Ma'am Curran was the match gold commander that day (before she got promoted out to Humberside) and her handling of the events that day were appalling to say the least.

How the hell she ever got promoted after that was amazing.

CJ

VauxhallandI · 4 Jan 2021

ValleyLines142 said:
I find the whole exemption claim a real grey area, and it must be a nightmare for the police who are simply just trying to do their jobs.

The most common excuse is asthma, yet my friend is severely asthmatic and can wear a face covering with no issue whatsoever. But then others claim they cannot wear one, which we do just have to accept.

Working in a coffee shop in a heavily student-populated area, all of the students I serve wear them. There are a group of builders that come in and two of them say they're exempt, yet every time they come in they shove their noses under their hi-viz jackets. I told them that if they're exempt then they don't need to, so I caught them out. It just doesn't add up.

I fully appreciate anxiety or rape victims not wearing them, I completely sympathise with that.

It's so difficult because I will never know the real reason why some people do not wear a face mask, but most of the time I feel it's more a case of people either a) can't be bothered to wear one, b) think they look stupid wearing one or c) ruining their look (e.g. make up).

I must admit the ones that I have to wear in work are awful and give me a headache, but I wear a plain black reusable one and can wear it all day long with no issue (and I also wear glasses full time).

Two points I'd like to conclude on. Firstly, frankly if people are exempt because of asthma, I do question why they're in a public place in the height of a respiratory pandemic if they are that vulnerable, and secondly if I personally was exempt I would wear a sunflower lanyard and exemption note to avoid constantly being harassed for asking to wear one. I am required to ask people whether they have one but not to question their reasoning (which I would have no desire to anyway); don't get angry with me for asking. I just think people who refuse to wear them and then get angry for being questioned whether they have one are the ones that form a grey cloud and then get angry when it rains!

Asthma comes in many forms.

It is also not your job or place to accept or not accept anything.

And all the while it would seem you are breaking the rules (well the entire “point” of them) by wearing one all day.

You aren’t exempt so have no experience of what it feels like to have to wear the lanyard of David.

I don’t want to sound nasty but people need to keep their own house in order before worrying about anyone else’s

SteveM70 · 4 Jan 2021

C J Snarzell said:
How the hell she ever got promoted after that was amazing

Presumably by being the person who commissioned the report into what happened, and being the person who ~~edited it~~ approved it for publication afterwards

Huntergreed · 5 Jan 2021

I'll be travelling (essentially) from Lockerbie to Glasgow and back tomorrow, will keep you updated as both are cross-border services.

FLIRTfan18 · 5 Jan 2021

jumble said:
I am sorry to say that I do not agree with your views as I think they are discriminatory

I cannot see how anyone being exempt as according to the LAW below could possibly provide proof of their exemption.

"where putting on, wearing or removing a face covering will cause you severe distress"

I am not sure you have thought this through as you seem to be suggesting that other passengers's views take priority or perhaps you think such people should have to go and have their distress put on their medical records for no good reason except to please people they don't know who could not care less about the reason why the person is exempt.
We live in a democracy and the law dictates that distressed non mask wearer trumps the other passengers wishes and if they don't like it they can chose not to travel by train
I find a lot of things other passengers do on trains objectionable ( Loud Music etc) but that is tough

Your comparison to Disabled blue badges is badly flawed as it is trivial for a doctor to validate a claim

You remind me of the people who complain about airlines having too many people allowed on board and so they could not social distance.
Those people need to be asked "are you the one too many on this flight?"

Let's agree to disagree

route101 · 5 Jan 2021

Huntergreed said:
I'll be travelling (essentially) from Lockerbie to Glasgow and back tomorrow, will keep you updated as both are cross-border services.

Never seen any police checking at Glasgow Central yet only been there a few times in last few weeks

Butts · 5 Jan 2021

Huntergreed said:
I'll be travelling (essentially) from Lockerbie to Glasgow and back tomorrow, will keep you updated as both are cross-border services.

What are you expecting Alsatian's and Spotlights ?

Think you are going to be a bit disappointed.

bramling · 5 Jan 2021

Butts said:
What are you expecting Alsatian's and Spotlights ?

Think you are going to be a bit disappointed.

So far no visible police activity on London trains as far as I have seen. I’ve heard the “a warm welcome to key workers” announcement though, bringing back a sense of deja-vu.

Passenger numbers low, but not the empty platforms of late March.

Mag_seven · 5 Jan 2021

bramling said:
So far no visible police activity on London trains as far as I have seen. I’ve heard the “a warm welcome to key workers” announcement though, bringing back a sense of deja-vu.

Passenger numbers low, but not the empty platforms of late March.

I expect this will be like previous lockdowns - it will start pretty quiet but as the weeks go on everyone will be out and about as they get fed up with being indoors all the time.

Ianno87 · 5 Jan 2021

Mag_seven said:
I expect this will be like previous lockdowns - it will start pretty quiet but as the weeks go on everyone will be out and about as they get fed up with being indoors all the time.

I reckon a couple of weeks or so then people will start taking not much notice again.

CaptainHaddock · 6 Jan 2021

And so the petty police jobsworths are back out in force trying to enforce restrictionxd which are guidelines and not laws;

Police apologise after notices are given to drivers asking 'why are you here today?'

Concerns have been raised by residents after they were ‘stopped and challenged’ by police when driving yesterday (Tuesday) for shopping and exercising. Motorists crossing the border between Berkshire and Buckinghamshire as they drove across Maidenhead Bridge in the morning were given lea...

www.maidenhead-advertiser.co.uk

Concerns have been raised by residents after they were ‘stopped and challenged’ by police when driving yesterday (Tuesday) for shopping and exercising.

Motorists crossing the border between Berkshire and Buckinghamshire as they drove across Maidenhead Bridge in the morning were given leaflets by police officers which said ‘WHY ARE YOU HERE TODAY?’.

The leaflet said: “You should exercise no more than once daily. This should be by walking, running or cycling etc from your home address. You should not be driving to a location away from your home to carry this out.”

Government guidance issued following the lockdown announcement on Monday says: “If you need to travel you should stay local, meaning avoiding travelling outside of your village, town or the part of a city where you live.”

It adds outdoor exercise should be’ done locally wherever possible, but you can travel a short distance within your area to do so if necessary’, while shopping for goods and services ‘should be within your local area wherever possible’.

But the notice, which was then shared to hundreds on social media groups, led to confusion and anger as people debated whether they could drive five miles to shop at Tesco in Taplow or to a place to exercise.

Cllr David Cannon (Con, Datchet, Horton and Wraysbury) said he raised the issue with police following concerns on social media.

Cllr Cannon received a statement from Inspector Tracey Croucher, who said it was an ‘individual officer who was just a bit keen’ and this would not happen again.

The statement said: “We are aware of leaflets handed out and that drivers have been stopped and challenged. This was not Windsor and Maidenhead officers but TVP officers and therefore TVP apologise for any upset caused.

“This was an individual officer who was just a bit keen, this has been addressed and should not happen again. However if it does please let TVP know as soon as possible.

"an individual officer who was just a bit keen"? Pull the other one!

greyman42 · 6 Jan 2021

CaptainHaddock said:
And so the petty police jobsworth are back out in force trying to enforce restrictionxd which are guidelines and not laws;

Police apologise after notices are given to drivers asking 'why are you here today?'

Concerns have been raised by residents after they were ‘stopped and challenged’ by police when driving yesterday (Tuesday) for shopping and exercising. Motorists crossing the border between Berkshire and Buckinghamshire as they drove across Maidenhead Bridge in the morning were given lea...

www.maidenhead-advertiser.co.uk

"an individual officer who was just a bit keen"? Pull the other one!

So for how long have individual officers been under the impression that it is OK to produce their own leaflets and distribute them?

Bantamzen · 6 Jan 2021

CaptainHaddock said:
And so the petty police jobsworth are back out in force trying to enforce restrictionxd which are guidelines and not laws;

Police apologise after notices are given to drivers asking 'why are you here today?'

Concerns have been raised by residents after they were ‘stopped and challenged’ by police when driving yesterday (Tuesday) for shopping and exercising. Motorists crossing the border between Berkshire and Buckinghamshire as they drove across Maidenhead Bridge in the morning were given lea...

www.maidenhead-advertiser.co.uk

"an individual officer who was just a bit keen"? Pull the other one!

If only the Police were as keen when people ring up after they've been burgled. A cynical person, a really cynical person would think this is them throwing resources at the easy jobs.

37424 · 6 Jan 2021

This is Bull.

The idea of Local is subjective who is to decide on the definition of Local? To me I would describe local a something up to 10 miles to 15 miles away, other people might think that is not local, someone who lives 25 miles from the nearest town would likely think that's local.

Exercise, people should be able to do that as much as they feel they need.

As for police stopping people and asking where they are going I would be inclined to tell them to mind their own business and generally be as awkward as possible over that.

While I am supportive of the Lockdown overall I'm not particularly happy with a police state attitude either.

bengley · 6 Jan 2021

An absolute blinder on the PIS at Preston station at the moment...

* COVID-19 * NATIONAL * TIER 5 *
* DO NOT TRAVEL - STAY AT HOME *
Rail Services are ONLY for
KEY WORKERS.
You must wear a face covering
* COVID-19 * LANCASHIRE * TIER 5 *
* DO NOT TRAVEL - STAY AT HOME *
Leisure travel is NOT permitted

bramling · 6 Jan 2021

Mag_seven said:
I expect this will be like previous lockdowns - it will start pretty quiet but as the weeks go on everyone will be out and about as they get fed up with being indoors all the time.

It's not even that quiet now. I wouldn't say there's much of a difference in London compared to last week. In fact, with there being a bit of blue sky today if anything there's been more people out and about.

Trains remain quiet, but absolutely not empty by any means.

We'll see in time whether the actions of the Dick squad make any inroad, but if we're expecting a repeat of March then it's not going to happen. No doubt there will be a relaxation to "unlimited travel for exercise" at some point, at which point we will see places like Bournemouth and Durdle Door on our screens again. I'm not sure what we're achieving here except more rolling national holiday for those whose lifestyle arrangements are arranged in such a way that they benefit from the bonus free time.

ChrisC · 6 Jan 2021

37424 said:
This is Bull.

The idea of Local is subjective who is to decide on the definition of Local? To me I would describe local a something up to 10 miles to 15 miles away, other people might think that is not local, someone who lives 25 miles from the nearest town would likely think that's local.

Exercise, people should be able to do that as much as they feel they need.

As for police stopping people and asking where they are going I would be inclined to tell them to mind their own business and generally be as awkward as possible over that.

While I am supportive of the Lockdown overall I'm not particularly happy with a police state attitude either.

I can’t really see how the police can determine who to stop and question if the roads remain as busy as they have been today. I wasn’t expecting it to be as quiet on the roads as it was back in March and April but I was expecting it to be fairly quiet. Through the village where I live in Nottinghamshire, which is on a B road, it certainly hasn’t been quiet. When there is a constant stream of traffic all day how can the police justify picking on just a few individuals. Last week, whilst we were supposedly in Tier 4, I drove to the hospital in Nottingham and the volume of traffic was extremely high for the whole journey. It’s not been as busy today but it’s certainly not quiet. During March and April, when driving to the shop in the next village I often never passed another car. Today I was stuck in quite a lengthy queue of traffic at some temporary traffic lights.

Solent&Wessex · 6 Jan 2021

bramling said:
It's not even that quiet now. I wouldn't say there's much of a difference in London compared to last week. In fact, with there being a bit of blue sky today if anything there's been more people out and about.

Trains remain quiet, but absolutely not empty by any means.

I concur in my area around Yorkshire and the North West. Evening trains after around 1830 / 1900 are virtually completely empty, but still quite a few travelling during the day and considerably more people travelling to and from work at normal commuting times too compared to Lockdown 1.

Roads during the day are just as busy as they have been for months with no noticeable depreciation in traffic. Not entirely sure what everyone is doing or where they are going. Evening time however, especially later on, I've noted the traffic has almost disappeared completely.

Large numbers of people out walking in the rural area where Iive.

Police checking travel

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