XenoBitch
"Police officers can arrest people when off duty. They would not have a radio on them then, but can call it in on their phone, and call for back-up etc.."
And therein lies the problem.
During the pandemic the police were handed widespread and sweeping general and unspecified powers AND those powers were applied inconsistently and unpredictably and were publicised widely and sensationally in the news.
If you think about it, the right to arrest anyone, anywhere even when off duty is a big entitlement in today's society.
Yes I have heard of citizen's arrest. But the above (the right to just arrest someone with the words "I am a policeman" (and no other verifiable justification / evidence of credibility) is staggering.
Clearly Wayne Cozens was/is a special category of dangerous.
However surely it is sensible to question whether the police should carry more up to date evidence of authority and evidence of joined up process (communication with the police station) just as a matter of course. It is the 21st century. It would be reasonable to expect this, ESPECIALLY for a woman who is not in any way acting in a antisocial or disruptive manner, to know her rights regarding a scenario of arrest.
The laws around police arrest are too much of a blunt instrument.
I totally get the need to avoid a situation where things are kicking off, the police arrive and the suspect starts questioning the authority of the police to intervene/arrest.
But there must be a middle ground.
Even on the C19 lockdown daily-changing standards, to purport to arrest a single lone woman when she is literally walking alone along an urban street for "breaking C19 rules" is just bonkers.
And the tragedy is that lots of women (including myself) would have not questioned it and would have just got in the car.