Woman arguing with Police

[GabsAlot]

has anyone seen this

Dont really know what to say its all very calm but shes defiant and is given several chances to move

Shes posted it herself but i dont think shes got the response she was looking for

What do you want her charged with, Fifth?

Sitting on a bench? Getting pissed, smoking....

@GabsAlot

I think you're misunderstanding the police powers. The police would cascade any persons housing status to the relevant authorities. They aren't responsible for the homeless. That is the most they can do. Refer on.

I wholly support her exercising her mind, physical being and human rights.

Then again I have form for going against the grain on Mumsnet, in my relationships and life in general.

So as you were.. keep a safe distance both literally and figuratively 💐

I can't see any judge having any difficulty in making a finding that the law around exercise relates to physical exercise, not mental. This could get terribly expensive for her.

@judycoolibar you and said "judge" lack empathy and understanding of what is wrong with today's society. Sometimes conformity is completely irrational and misjudged. Only time will tell if this is the case here. No response will convince me otherwise.

What do you want her charged with,

Is loitering still a thing? She admits that she intends to stay where she is for longer than an hour. I think the restriction is that the exercise can only be for an hour?

The police officer tells her in the video what he is arresting her for. ^Section something of the covid19 something" ?

She sounds like a real self-important arsehole.

That copper seemed to have endless patience. I would have been very tempted to wipe the self-important smirk (which I imagine she was wearing) off her stupid face.

I hope they give her a huge fine.

Wasting police resources and time. And rudely arguing with them, making their work day difficult, despite being given chances to move on.

She feels entitled to claim a bench in a highly populated area for a couple of hours.

If she had taken a blanket out to a remote patch of grass I would have a bit of sympathy regarding the mental exercising but even then if she was asked to leave from that patch of grass by the police she should given the circumstances in our community at present.

@Flaxmeadow

There is no time limit on the new police powers.

Loitering on a park bench?

She could be charged under the vagrants act of the 19th century.

I'm not sure of the relevant clause of the act.

Popcorn.

A highly populated area? Did you watch the video?

She was on a bench. With nobody around her. Having a drink. Smoking a ciggie.

I think she should be charged with being in breach of Regulation 6 of the relevant Health Protection Regulations.

That would allow a court to test whether 'exercising her mind' is a really 'exercising' for the purposes of the Regulations. The police had one interpretation of that, which I happen to share. She had another. Ultimately it would be for a court to decide.

Of course, if the court decided in the woman's favour it would be a pretty simple matter to amend the Regulations to specify 'physical exercise'.

if necessary, the Government could also specify the type of exercise (eg only running, cycling or walking) and could restrict the length of the exercise to eg an hour a day. In my view that would be a shame, but might be necessary if lots of people behave like this woman.

What an idiot, I feel quite sorry for her actually. Just move on! It's not worth the (possible) criminal record to make whatever point she thinks she's making. Compare that police officer to the one telling a family off for being in their own garden on the other thread.

@Popcornspopping Let me break this down for you.

You and others like you care about fines. This lady sounds articulate enough to comprehend the consequences of her actions. You hoping that she will be punished does not make her feel bad about her actions just because you want her to. She probably welcomes placing the inconvenience on the powers that be just as they have been placed on her and us. Yes there are lives at risk, but at the same time this is an unjust inconvenience and I resent it and the decisions that have been made for me 🤬

There is no time limit on the new police powers.

There is.

Loitering on a park bench?

Yes. That's exactly what shes doing and stupidly even bragging about it on film

She could be charged under the vagrants act of the 19th century.

Which one?

I'm not sure of the relevant clause of the act.

It's in the video.

That police officer has the patience of a saint

why does she remind me of Katie Hopkins?
I feel sory for the officer having to deal with the entitled people.

Also unless I am very much mistaken it is a very highly populated area. It looks like Richmond to me, which would normally be full of people sitting and drinking on the riverside on a day like today.

It wasn't in the video, because most people had too much sense - if they were out they were walking, so getting physical exercise - or had already been moved on by the police. They can't move everyone else on and then say it's fine for her to stay because there was no one else there.

The cops did more harm than good, but I guess they lack the intelligence to figure that out.

Flax,

'Around'

That's the key word. That's where the law is flaky. I think that's what we call a loophole.

Baked this is a highly populated area and in normal times absolutely packed - the only reason its not packed is because people aer complying with the current rules. You can see a number of people walking by closer to the river, I'm sure many would want to sit on a bench and if they all did, it would be packed.

The whole point is, we all need to follow rules rather than leave room for a number of 'special' individuals to just carry on as normal.

seasonalsparkler, the job of a judge is to apply the law as written. This lady claims that she will be challenging the penalty notice in court, therefore she is asking the judge to do his or her job.

You can't run a society on the basis that laws are to be interpreted empathetically in accordance with the whim of the judge. That would be the route to chaos.

The police also said in the video that they has asked people to move on, hence why there’s not many people in the vicinity

Had*

'Around'

That's the key word. That's where the law is flaky. I think that's what we call a loophole.

"Around" is not going to be much of a loophole in her case. The officer had already warned her an hour before the video to move on and then she says she will stay even longer "till sunset"

Bang to rights, as they say

@Judycoolibar I'm pretty sure a judge is qualified to do a lot more than read the law out loud like children in assembly.

I am sure if she challenges it, she will lose.
Some people seem to like challenging authority for the sake of it and think that makes them important people fighting for human rights. There are times authority should be challenged, but intelligence is knowing when you should, and when you are being an entitled idiot.