Derbyshire Police chief defends force over criticism of tactics used to enforce coronavirus lockdown

The chief constable of Derbyshire Police has defended the force's officers after they were accused of being overzealous in enforcing social distancing rules during the pandemic.

The force has come under scrutiny after it published drone footage shaming people exercising in the Peak District and dumped black dye in a lagoon to discourage people from travelling there.

Addressing the criticism on Tuesday, Peter Goodman said police were operating in "unprecedented times" and had "never expected to be asked by the Government to play the role that we’re playing".

"Of course, we need to find our way in all of this – and it’s difficult," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"When the regulations and the law only go so far, but then the advice from the Government goes a bit further, it leaves us in quite a difficult situation in terms of how we interpret that.

"My advice to my force is we want to do this by consent, we want to do this by explanation and conversation."

His comments came as one of Britain's most senior police officers warned against "overzealous" enforcement amid the coronavirus lockdown, telling his colleagues their conduct will be remembered for generations.

Writing for The Telegraph, Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu demanded UK forces maintain the tradition of "policing by consent" but stressed individual officers should not be judged "too harshly" as they have been given unprecedented powers.

Police have been granted the power to impose fines on people found flouting lockdown restrictions - which only permit people to leave their homes for a few specific reasons - and disperse group gatherings.​

However, several high-profile cases of police forces shaming individuals over their behaviour in recent days have prompted debate over some officers' management of the UK's new social distancing measures.

Derbyshire Police - which has made no arrests and issued zero fines in line with the new rules - has been at the very centre of the controversy after it published the drone footage showing walkers in the Peak District with a warning that daily exercise should not involve long trips or journeys in the car.

Former Supreme Court judge Lord Sumption on Monday likened the force's approach to the restrictions on public movement to operating "a police state".

Speaking to the BBC's World At One programme, Mr Sumption branded officers use of the drone footage as "disgraceful", adding it had "shamed" the UK's policing traditions.

"The tradition of policing in this country is that policemen are citizens in uniform, they are not members of a disciplined hierarchy operating just at the government's command," he said.

"The police have no power to enforce ministers' preferences but only legal regulations which don't go anything like as far as the government's guidance.

"This is what a police state is like. It's a state in which the Government can issue orders or express preferences with no legal authority and the police will enforce ministers' wishes.​"

Reacting to the criticism on Tuesday, Mr Goodman said he agreed with Lord Sumption's view that "the separation of state from policing is really important in a democratic society", but suggested there had been "a misinterpretation by him" over the incident.

He added: "We had many, many members of the Derbyshire community contacting the police very concerned because villages that are largely filled by elderly residents who were self-isolating were inundated by thousands of visitors parking and walking around their villages.

"We put the footage out after that to start a conversation with the public, frankly, to say that this is what Derbyshire is like, and at this time, we believe the sensible thing is not to come to Derbyshire to come walking because of the risk you are posing to elderly residents."

Commenting meanwhile on the incident which saw Derbyshire Police pour dye into a lagoon at a disused quarry near Buxton in a bid to deter visitors, Mr Goodman said the move was "nothing to do with" coronavirus.

"It’s to do with regular, annual changing the colour," he added.

"Because people look at it from a distance and they think it’s going to be a great place to swim. It’s extremely dangerous."

The Government has committed to reviewing the lockdown measures in three weeks, and relaxing them if possible, but senior figures have warned the restrictions may need to be in place for a much longer period of time.

On Monday, England’s chief scientific advisor said the rules were already starting to take effect.

Speaking at the daily Covid-19 press conference at Downing Street, Sir Patrick Vallance said that community transmission of Covid-19 is thought to be decreasing amid the lockdown.