Human rights report into PSNI chides MLAs for ‘confusing’ Covid curbs

A human rights review of NI policing has chastised MLAs for introducing anti-coronavirus rules that were not clear enough.
PSNI officers on patrol.PSNI officers on patrol.
PSNI officers on patrol.

The Annual Human Rights Report, released last night by the Policing Board, covers a host of areas.

Although a seperate report is due to be produced concerning the PSNi’s Covid response, this evening’s report does touch on elements of how the law has been enforced.

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It says; “At the end of March 2020 the PSNI were given responsibility and unprecedented new powers to keep the public safe from Covid-19.

“The lockdown powers were not as clear as they could have been – but that is an indictment of the legislators and politicians and not the police officers that were asked to enforce them.”

The coronavirus regulations (that is, the legally-binding rules people must follows, as opposed to mere guidance) were first enacted on March 28 in Northern Ireland.

Whilst it gave officers had no legal power to enforce two-metre distances between people (except at funerals, where it could be enforced) it did give officers powers to order people to go home unless they had a “reasonable excuse” to be out (and to use force or arrest them if they refuse).

The police were also given power to hand out £60 fines.

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The law has changed a number of times since then (for example, just this Thursday the government said it was upping those £60 spot fines to £200, plus it is launching new penalties of up to £10,000 to deal with breaches concerning things like public gatherings).

But instead of listing clearly what the current legally-enforceable rules are, the Department of Health has instead put up a webpage containing a sprawling mess of legal text and amendments, making it essentially impossible for an ordinary citizen to understand the law.

However the News Letter has found a link to the updated statute at Parliament, which is somewhat clearer than the weblinks provided by the NI government.

It can be found >here<.

The report adds: “The Covid-19 emergency in March 2020 resulted in police services throughout the UK, including in Northern Ireland, being given very significant new powers.

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“Perhaps more powers across the UK than any time since the Second World War and arguably more than even then.

“Generally speaking, the public have accepted that these powers are necessary and appear to be complying with them.

“However, there have been examples of many members of the public not understanding or not accepting them and some police officers around the UK not applying the powers appropriately.

“Some of the problems might have been because people are confusing government statements, the provisions of the Coronavirus Act 2020 and the new Health Protection Regulations.”

Read more from the News Letter:

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