UK Police Stalk Citizens with Drones; Shame them on Social Media for Taking Walks in Remote Places

Derbyshire police in England have taken it upon themselves to squander resources on stalking citizens taking walks in remote areas using drones, and then shaming them on social media for engaging in “non-essential” activities during the Chinese coronavirus pandemic.

Fortunately, many people are not taking too kindly with the blatant intrusion, in some cases highlighting the inconsistencies in which “social distancing” is deemed to be appropriate.

One commenter wrote: “Taking a walk by yourself in the middle of nowhere seems the epitome of social distancing. Yet the building site next to me, in the middle of London, building flats is essential?” Another responded “leave ppl alone…” and further said “[T]hey can easily leave a safe distance between them and others.”

Another observed that not everyone can just go outside and take a walk if they “…live in a dense urban/suburban area”, and therefore “surely it is safer for them to travel contained within their own personal vehicle to exercise rather than walking down a busy road where it is impossible to safely walk 2m apart?!”

The Derbyshire police acknowledged that “…people will have differing views about this post,” but continued to say “we will not be apologetic for using any legal and appropriate methods to keep people safe.”

Some additional heavy handed Tweets:

“You are entitled to exercise once daily”

“Absolute Shock”

The problem with many of these intrusive guidances is that they appear to be inconsistent and unhelpful. Reasonable people will follow reasonable rules, as long as they are applied evenly and fairly.