The police have an extremely tough job at the moment. They have been propelled into a public health role which they have never played before, have been given vast new powers which are entirely clear and which politicians are not always communicating clearly either. 1/3

Nothing about this situation is ideal and I know that there are many within the police trying to get the right balance even if that is very difficult. Eg. NPCC/CoP guidance has been excellent. There will, however, be instances where police overstep or get the balance wrong 2/3

In those situations, It is crucially important that we keep a public conversation going about why something is problematic and how it might be fixed in the coming days and weeks as we remain locked down, whilst maintaining of sympathy for each other and the police 3/3