Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Covid

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Original poster

Police threaten to search shopping trolleys to check you’re only buying essentials *amended by MNHQ*

183 replies

HeIenaDove · 09/04/2020 14:52

metro.co.uk/2020/04/09/police-threaten-search-shopping-trolleys-check-buying-essentials-12532339/

Video of statement

twitter.com/RTaylorUK/status/1248204770977996800?s=20

OP posts:
Moondust001 · 09/04/2020 16:40

It's good to see that intelligence still isn't a requirement for police recruitment.

There is no way on God's earth that they can enforce this ridiculous stance. There is no legal definition of "essential", and further than that, there is no power to stop and search for the reasons stipulated. I don't live in the idiots jurisdiction, but if I did I would refuse to be searched and if fined I would refuse to pay. The courts still interpret the law in this country, not some stasi police force.

Perhaps the learning from this sort of statement is not what some idiots in the police force think they can do, but to remember that given the power, what they might do. It doesn't take much to turn a democracy into a dictatorship.Just a police force willing to abandon policing by consent, neighbours willing to turn in their neighbours for perceived or real misdemeanours ... and you are half way to a place that we just keep on saying will never happen again, but does.

Needtobepositive · 09/04/2020 16:44

What’s essential to one person is non essential to others. I have a diabetic in the house so sweets to bring her out of her hypo are essential to us. Biscuits are also essential as when she comes out of the hypo she needs to eat something slow releasing to keep them there. Also non carb foods are essential for when bloods are high and 10 carbs are needed for snacking. I’d like someone to check my trolley!

user1635896324685367 · 09/04/2020 16:47

That sounds unlawful.

TheDogsMother · 09/04/2020 16:48

I really don't get why people have been lambasted for buying non-essential items. If you are in the shop anyway buying your essential bread, milk etc why is it a problem to pick up a bar of chocolate or bottle of wine at the same time ? It's not 'non-essential' items that spreads the virus, it's non-essential trips.

WorraLiberty · 09/04/2020 16:49

Worth repeating...

To be clear on the shopping trolley issue: This is about essential and necessary journeys, not what’s in your trolley. I have been clear that we will not be judge and jury on what is an essential item or not, but we may now probe the purpose of the journey

diddl · 09/04/2020 16:50

I think that you should be able to hand a list to staff who whizz round & pick the stuff up.

Still far too much browsing going on!

feellikeanalien · 09/04/2020 16:51

If it does come to this then I think we will be on a very slippery slope. As another pp said policing in this country is by consent and if the police start to antagonise the public then there could be major problems.

I think that the fact that policing has changed over the last 20/30 years so that there are now fewer officers on the beat and a failure to take any interest in, what to them, are minor offences such as burglary has also made the public less supportive than they used to be.

Coupled with the recent cases of policing people's thoughts and views on Twitter, if they were to start searching people's shopping bags this would be likely to damage public trust severely.

I do sometimes wonder about the calibre of the upper echelons of the police force as they seem to be constantly making pronouncements and then having to backtrack when the public react badly.

However the media also don't help and love to sensationalise this type of thing.

It is difficult to stay calm and logical in a unique situation such as this but I think that is the only way we will get through it without there being any lasting damage to police relations with the public.

Sargass0 · 09/04/2020 16:54

What a load of inflammatory bullshit. never gonna happen so no flapping and hysteria needed.

PerspicaciaTick · 09/04/2020 16:55

This is like the arse who posted on SM saying that you weren't allowed to buy a kettle from the supermarket while doing your shop as it is nonessential.
There are some very odd people about who feel that lockdown should be an unmitigated misery punctuated by self-flagellation.
Lockdown is miserable enough without having to spend 12 weeks boiling water in a saucepan because some self-appointed nobber thinks you should walk straight passed the kettles during your weekly shop.

RuffleCrow · 09/04/2020 16:55

I think if the whole regulation capture, people being 'thinking checked' for tweeting limericks etc hadn't literally just happened, we might have a bir more faith in them not harassing shoppers for packets of Hobnobs. Hmm

TheGreatWave · 09/04/2020 16:58

Last weekend Cleveland Police were stopping people going to the Range and telling them to go home if they were buying something considered non essential. Log burner, paint and gardening equipment were mentioned.

peony68 · 09/04/2020 16:59

I hope they won't be doing that before i've managed to buy my body weight in easter eggs !!!

BrieAndChilli · 09/04/2020 17:00

It’s not about buying unnecessary foods eg chocolate and wine but about going to the shops to ONLY buy those sorts of things, if you are going to buy bread, milk, meat, veg, toilet roll etc then of course pop wine and choc and a dvd in your trolley.

mous · 09/04/2020 17:04

The Metro is not a reliable source for anything. It's clickbait and Reddit plagiarism.

canigooutyet · 09/04/2020 17:05

If the time comes that we have contraband food, it won’t be on the shelves to begin with. Instead it would be a one drop stop to your weed dealer for all your munchies 🤣

Instead the gullible were illegally searched by those on power trips (the over zealous ones standing outside supermarkets etc)

MintyMabel · 09/04/2020 17:08

She claims she was on her way home from Morrison’s, but I can’t think of any area you would live in (apart from Holyrood Palace 😂) that would necessitate walking through the park to go home

It’s a pretty direct route to quite a few residential areas.

You may be right, she may well have been having a picnic, but if you were walking from Morrisons to Southside or Dumiedykes, you’d go through the park.

Xenia · 09/04/2020 17:08

My son has just asked to take my essential work business legal letter to the post (in case he is stopped when out on what is a lawful cycle ride) not that we have any police around here at all and actually everyone is compliant.

canigooutyet · 09/04/2020 17:09

Even alcohol can be an essential for some. Alcoholics more than likely aren’t going to get sober at the moment even the ones sober for years might be back on the bottle. If they banned alcohol and chocolate, but various smoking products would also be on the banned list.

Then you will get some Bellend telling you that you cannot buy a new duvet cos your cat/dog/dh pissed on the old one.

mencken · 09/04/2020 17:09

as someone else has mentioned - Metro. Enough said.

fuckwit millenial bait.

PicsInRed · 09/04/2020 17:10

I now predict a panic run on junk food, toys and supermarket kitsch. 🎊 🥳 🎉

aut0replenish · 09/04/2020 17:19

So no plants, wine, choc, books or anything else that helps make this boredom more bearable and people more likely to stay in doors. On a weekend with lovely weather which most of us would spend going to the beach and spending time with family.

What utter rubbish. They’d lose willingness to do the right thing, people are getting fed up enough as it is.

aut0replenish · 09/04/2020 17:21

I lob all the below in the trolley during my only weekly shop. There is nothing wrong with that.

Waxonwaxoff0 · 09/04/2020 17:24

To the poster who posted about the park - actually the quickest way to my local supermarket is through the park. I live directly opposite the park, and the Asda is on the other side of the park, so it makes sense for me to walk directly through the park to get there rather than take the long way round on the main road. As I don't have a car, I have to walk there.

If I were stopped it would be pretty evident from my shopping bags that I was on the way back from the supermarket though.

Stellamboscha · 09/04/2020 17:26

Well today on the supermarket buying food I also bought items for the food bank guys outside and yes I bought chocolate and other items that presumably count as non/essential but anyone in the situation of needing a food parcel bloody deserves some non-essentials!

Holdingmybreath · 09/04/2020 17:33

It's interesting how my shopping has changed.I used to do a weekly shop (food planned)and get all the basics and the fresh food for the first half of the week then shop again for fresh veg etc for the rest of the week.
I did my last big shop on Sunday but underestimated how much a teenager can eat if at home all day.So I will shop again a 7am as it is empty then but have also extended the meal plan to next Friday.Ill shop for that too,and get extra milk and bread as that's what we run out of.
I'm a nurse and although we're working longer hours we do still get days off to shop but my biggest challenge has been ma
making 2 nutritional packed meals(13 hrs at work)that don't require heating and can be eaten in 10 mins as taking off and putting back on your protective clothing is included in that break.
I wish I had a bigger fridge although we have had interesting meals from the freezer where the labels are missing(disintegrated over the years).