Road rules3 mins ago
We're These Women Out Of Order
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No they were not out of order. The police were.
//Guidance for the current lockdown says people can travel for exercise as long as it is in their "local area".//
The guidance may well say that. The legislation doesn't. The guidance also says you should exercise only once a day. Again the legislation doesn't
//The police force involved, Derbyshire Police, said driving for exercise was "not in the spirit" of lockdown.//
The police are not there to impose the "spirit of the lockdown" (whatever they mean by that). They are there to impose the letter of the law, and here's the letter (which explains the "reasonable excuse" for leaving home that is acceptable as far as exercise goes):
to take exercise outside—
(i) alone,
(ii) with—
(aa) one or more members of their household, their linked household, or
(bb) where exercise is being taken as part of providing informal childcare
for a child aged 13 or under, one or more members of their linked
childcare household, or
(iii) in a public outdoor place, with one other person who is not a member of their household, their linked household or their linked childcare household.
It says nothing about staying local; it says nothing about not driving to get there; it says nothing about not having a coffee whilst you're exercising. If the government wants the police to start chucking £200 fines around they need to tighten the legislation so that they can lawfully do so. The two women should have declined their kind offer of a Fixed Penalty and let the matter be heard in court.
//Guidance for the current lockdown says people can travel for exercise as long as it is in their "local area".//
The guidance may well say that. The legislation doesn't. The guidance also says you should exercise only once a day. Again the legislation doesn't
//The police force involved, Derbyshire Police, said driving for exercise was "not in the spirit" of lockdown.//
The police are not there to impose the "spirit of the lockdown" (whatever they mean by that). They are there to impose the letter of the law, and here's the letter (which explains the "reasonable excuse" for leaving home that is acceptable as far as exercise goes):
to take exercise outside—
(i) alone,
(ii) with—
(aa) one or more members of their household, their linked household, or
(bb) where exercise is being taken as part of providing informal childcare
for a child aged 13 or under, one or more members of their linked
childcare household, or
(iii) in a public outdoor place, with one other person who is not a member of their household, their linked household or their linked childcare household.
It says nothing about staying local; it says nothing about not driving to get there; it says nothing about not having a coffee whilst you're exercising. If the government wants the police to start chucking £200 fines around they need to tighten the legislation so that they can lawfully do so. The two women should have declined their kind offer of a Fixed Penalty and let the matter be heard in court.
Just ask them to show you where it says you can't, dr. The "guidance" is all very well and makes sense for those who can reasonably comply. But if your dog needs walkies more than once a day (as most dogs do) then I cannot see a court convicting you of taking exercise more than once. This "guidance" really concerns me because we have police officers acting as if it is written in law. They really need to be challenged because that is not the way the law works here. Meanwhile they can get round to some of the dozen or so footballers I saw photographs of over New Year, happily holding their NYE parties which is clearly contrary to the law.
