To ask if you've been stopped by police and asked why you're out?

[AvocadosBeforeMortgages]

I've been out and about a LOT during lockdown. My reasons are legitimate (doing deliveries is the bulk of it) but that wouldn't be immediately obvious to a bystander when I'm driving around in an unbranded hatchback.

I've not been asked why I'm out of the house by a police officer even once since lockdown began, which surprises me. I live in a very urban area, and have seen plenty of them. I don't know anyone who has been stopped and asked. I'm curious to see if this is widespread.

YABU = I've been stopped by the police since lockdown began
YANBU = I haven't been stopped by the police

OP oh you're self employed. I reckon it's even more likely they've joined the dots then.

How?! Really fascinated as to which systems would feasibly have the dots joined between them.

In my experience the government simply isn't that joined up.

I've been stopped twice. Once on my way to work (I've got a letter identifying me as a key worker) and once on my way to a hospital appointment.

I haven’t been stopped, but we have special constables on bicycles patrolling the town centre here, mainly to check on the smaller food shops. There have been some men going into them claiming to be homeless and asking for money, and getting quite nasty and threatening. None are homeless and are usually known to the police. Some have blatantly asked for money on the street and if people say they have no cash on them, the men say that they will come to a cash point with them.

The police are constantly driving around my area and I've seen them pull over a couple of cars outside my house. They have paused while we were sitting on a bench on our walk but either they weren't looking at us or noticed we were removing sand from the wee ones shoes and not having a picnic.

I'm still going to work once a week, my commute is a 40 min drive to the nearest City. Not been stopped at all.

Saw a policy foot patrol when I was walking back to my house, just got a cheery 'hello'.

I was! My first time driving in 2 years (having only just passed my test a couple of months before that) and in a new car so I had my husband sit in for the first drive to the supermarket. He stayed in the car. Police stopped us and challenged us because there was more than 1 person in the car. Mind it was probably an excuse I was very nervous so probably looked really dodgy!

No but in-laws got told off for stopping to eat a packet of crisps while on a long walk.

Yes, once whilst out on my daily walk in my village with ds, very early on in the lockdown. They were very friendly and pleasant and I felt it was a bit of a box-ticking exercise. We haven’t seen them here since which is a shame as many people here have stopped following the guidelines now.

No, I've only seen them once actually. They cycled past me when I was out on a walk, said hello on the way past but that's it.

I'm in Ireland and I've been stopped twice a day, to and from work, almost every single day since lockdown. I work in a supermarket but my uniform isn't obvious so I always have to explain.

I have been out at least once a day everyday since lockdown (livestock), I don't use a vehicle that looks work related or agricultural just an anonymous hatchback. I haven't been stopped at all.

Where have all these
Police come from?! Haven't seen a policeman on the beat in decades, now they're everywhere and have time to stop and ask why someone is watching their child swim?

No i havent. I go to work as normal. I have the actual law bookmarked on my phone so i am likely to be more conversant with the law than many who might stop and challenge me.
www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/350/contents/made

Not stopped myself, but the Police did call round to my neighbour yesterday because he's been having people round every night since lockdown began (he lives alone, so it was fairly obvious people were visiting, and no, he has no health issues). I don't know who reported it, but the Police were back there again today to check he didn't have anyone else there.

We live on a fairly rough council estate, and the joke is that it's the safest place to live because the Police are always there within seconds of you picking up the phone.

Yes, 8am in a rural village - I had pulled over briefly (2 mins) to check something on my phone on the way home from walking my dogs, and when I explained why I was out they were fine with it.

I haven't been anywhere personally but my oh hasn't been stopped when he's been out to get our shopping, we do live rurally but he has made a couple of trips into the city to go to B&M and Iceland as we just can't afford to do our shopping at our local co-op. We live in a beauty spot and oh was expecting to see plenty of police patrolling the area but there haven't been any when he's been out.

Yes, PCSO in my local town because I had been seen in the town twice in the same day. I had a legitimate reason and that was backed up by someone official so they left me alone.

l haven't. l don't go far apart from work though, the two local small supermarkets are half a mile from me.
l have passed a couple of police cars on my way to/from work, and l wondered if they'd stop me, but l wear a uniform and have my shifts on my phone calendar, so l think l'd be ok.

I haven't but my (adult) DD has. She was walking the dog so I would have thought it was fairly obvious why she was out, but she got asked anyway.

Not stopped myself, but the Police did call round to my neighbour yesterday because he's been having people round every night since lockdown began

I suspect they were acting outside of their remit here. He could have just told them to go away and not answered any of their questions.

No, I've seen lots of them but I think it's always obvious that I'm exercising or buying groceries.

However yesterday when I was out there was a family zipping around (tearing up fields and footpaths) on some kind of small 4x4s, which I think certainly can't be considered exercise even by a generous definition. The police were waiting by the cars the family had come in and parked across someone's driveway. When I passed by the officer was telling them they really shouldn't be out and the father was arguing a lot, so I wonder if they did get fined or something.

*It seems to be a trend that people who never run or walk have suddenly taken it up!

I'm seeing this said a lot. But many of those people running probably used to get their exercise at the gym, or at their football/rugby/netball club. And if you're stuck in the house all day now, of course you'll be keener to go for a walk than you were when you were at work.*

Absolutely this. Before lockdown dd was at college training to be a professional dancer for many hours per day. Now she does what she can at home in the dining room but keeps her stamina up by going running.

I was questioned when I drove up to a royal park weeks ago- just wanted to walk somewhere different with my toddler, 10min drive. I didn’t bother pointing out that the officer kept contradicting herself saying it was the “rules” and it was “advisory”.... just smiled and nod and promised not to drive again.

Here (west Oxfordshire) the police have been parking up..quite a few vans on the main route in and out of our town and stopping lots of cars... which is fine, but given that it's the entry route for the RAF base it IS going to have lots of traffic.
I'm a keyworker but not in uniform (and my lanyard is in a locked for now classroom as we are just using a couple of rooms). I'm sure I will be stopped soon!

@Celeriacacaca. No, the police do not wonder this. I doubt you’ve ever had any meaningful conversation with an officer in your life, so it’s a bit embarrassing when you try to sound worldly with statements like this. It is the vast majority of common sense led decision making by officers that resolves thousands and thousands of dangerous and complex situations every day across the country. But you don’t get to hear about that, so of course, as far as you’re concerned, it doesn’t happen.