Spoken to by the police

[Foldinthecheese]

This morning my husband and I took our three children on a long walk/scoot to a local park that is probably two miles away. We had seen the recent police guidance that said stopping for a snack during a long period of exercise is allowed, so we packed some crisps, fruit and our water bottles, intending to have them in the park before heading back home. We have twin DSes, four, and a one year old DD.

While sitting in the park (in a green space, far from any paths, with no one nearby) two police officers approached and said we needed to move on because what we were doing was against guidelines and someone had called to report us. It wasn’t a problem to leave, but I was a little annoyed by the situation. I mentioned the guidelines regarding a snack during long exercise and they seemed unaware of this, and asked to see it on my phone. They then said that it was an issue of public perception, which I understand, but I’m not sure why that would impact the legality of our actions. One officer suggested that we should have gone to a park closer to our house, but the space isn’t really comparable and it’s more of a play park: lots of equipment that is currently covered in caution tape.

I don’t know really why I’m writing this, except I feel frustrated. We’ve followed all the guidelines for the past month and it’s annoying that the police seem unaware of the guidance that has been made publicly available that says what we did was acceptable. It was also just really nice to go slightly further than the one mile radius around our house and enjoy seeing the flowers in the park, and it feels like it put a dampener on the morning.

The area where we live is lovely, but very residential and doesn’t have many nice walks on the immediate vicinity. The only scenic one

Oh come on. You’ve lost me here. In the midst of a pandemic you can’t be choosing to go for “scenic” and “nice” walks. It’s essential travel only, otherwise stay at home. Travelling further afield because the residential streets near you are boring is the sort of behaviour that shouldn’t be permitted.

I can’t believe someone reported you. And they came straight out? Ridiculous. I don’t think you did anything wrong

Some of the rules on exactly what you are and aren't allowed to do are changing so frequently and becoming so incredibly petty that I've given up listening to them or even attempting to follow the minutiae. Given the ever-changing and petty nature of them I'm inclined to think that they bear sod all relation to the scientific evidence. The principle of "minimise social contact with those outside your household" is now what I'm following.

I'm not throwing house parties and visiting elderly relatives, for the record. But I did sit down on a park bench yesterday with DDog. It was a nice sunny day, I was tired, I had backache (I have a long term condition) and frankly, I just felt like it. Sitting on park benches alone / with members of your household does not spread coronavirus; failing to provide NHS staff with PPE certainly does.

Having been utterly shafted financially by the government (self employed, start up business), I've just got to the point where I'm really struggling to give a fuck anymore, quite frankly.

One officer suggested that we should have gone to a park closer to our house

The officer is right

Sometimes officers are not really thinking when they do something that seems routine. They had been sent to speak to you. They had in their head the idea that you must be doing something you shouldn't and so everything they did after that came from the perspective of how to tell you not to do it again. So even though they saw the guidance and it said that what you did was something that police should not be considering unreasonable or at odds with the law, they were still trying to find a way to frame it as you being in the wrong.

Apart from anything else, it isn't really "an issue of public perception" at all. Obviously public perception is why they were sent to speak to you, which wasn't unreasonable, but when they found out that you had a reasonable excuse for being there they no longer had any authority to insist you do something else. They only have authority to enforce the law, they can't enforce other things just so public perception is satisfied.

I would probably make a complaint - not a huge fuss, not asking for compensation or discipline or anything, but pointing out they had overstepped and asking for there to be further training for officers.

There isn't a restriction on getting outside for exercise because many people don't have gardens and it's probably pretty excessive, but that doesn't mean we need to be seeking out scenic walks or travelling so far to get to them that we need to sit and have picnics to refuel.

There are some complaints of police heavy-handedness that deserve criticism but I can't get on board with the seethe about being moved on in situations like this. Just suck it up and take a walk locally and you won't have this issue. You'll be all the more thrilled to see the scenic places when lockdown is lifted again.

They explained why it's a problem. It's the perception. It's the potential for everybody else just doing the same thing, or interpreting it as meaning that rules have changed. Onlookers don't know you walked 2 miles then just sat for 10 mins. It's honestly not difficult to understand why police have to take this approach.

It's honestly not difficult to understand why police have to take this approach.

Police don't have to take this approach and, in fact, don't have the authority to do so.

They can't possibly legislate for every single tiny little situation, nor would I expect our legislative to spend weeks on that in the middle of a pandemic. People have to use a little common sense and look at bigger picture here.

People might occasionally make exceptions for themselves (while others don't and keep the parks quiet) and I won't be telling them they're terrible people for doing it either, but they surely can't complain when called out?

"The park was empty apart from us!" Yes, because most other people (who would probably love a walk to park and picnic in the sun) stayed at home and didn't make exceptions for themselves.

The OP didn't make an exception for herself. She followed guidelines, noted that the walk along her local canal was normally too crowded to socially distance and went for a walk that was safe. Since there was space to sit in the park she did. Using common-sense would be not sitting in the park if it's busy, not refusing to sit in an empty park just in case suddenly lots of people were inspired to crowd around her.

I do think we shouldn’t be going out for long walks and stopping for picnics. I think that’s perfectly reasonable, 2 miles isn’t longer than the run 5k tag 5 donate 5 I’ve seen all over Instagram. I also maybe incredibly unfit but I would stop for a rest for 5-10mins on that walk why not have a drink and snack whilst you’d be stopped anyway.

I don’t get how in ten minutes of you picnic/snacks someone has spotted you, contact the police and then they appeared on the scene. Awfully fast response.

Some people need to get a grip. Scootering for 2 miles is great exercise for kids. And of course children need exercise, playing with a ball, or bike, or walking get them out and off the couch. We are a nation of fatties. Kids are obese starting school. Get them in the habit of exercising somehow.

I think there are going to be horrible repercussions for some of this. children seeing their parents told off by the police for going out scootering and stopping!

"How are the police to know that you sitting in the middle of the green is your family stopping for a quick snack as opposed to a picnic?"

Presumably, people actually need to commit some infringement of rules to be judged by the rules, not appear as if they might have.

And actually they could have just said "Are you stopping for long?" and if the answer was 'Yes, my rotissory chicken isn't cooked all the way through on the barbie yet" Then they could have complained.

OP I think you are wonderful, i can't get my kids to do exercise for love nor money, it's so hard. This is going to have a massive impact on the nations health. plus the pettiness if going to lead to real breaches of the rules.

The whole "would you normally have gone for a walk" thing is an absolute piece of nonsense. One of my neighbours muttered about that yesterday when I took some of the kids out for a walk.

No, I don't normally go for a walk. I normally swim 3 days a week and I can't. I normally go to the gym once a week and I can't. So now I walk.

DS runs around in school normally, does PE twice a week, goes to swimming lessons, football classes and runs around playing games at Cubs, but he can't. He also normally spends hours on his bike and playing in the street with the other kids, but he can't. So now he walks.

Yet apparently he and I walking far enough to need a drink and a rest, then coming back is some sort of heinous crime to some people. I just don't get it.

The very same people will be the ones muttering about lazy and/or fat children once this is all over if we all just stay inside.

Sitting in a park eating crisps and fruit and having a drink would be a mini picnic for lots of people.
Even pre lockdown, a snack during exercise wouldn't have been sitting down having something to eat and drink.
And as a PP pointed out, you were obviously there long enough for someone to tell the police and the police to get to you.
You were being a chancer OP. Stick to your local park and leave the non-exercise snacks at home. . . Or don't. But if you flout the rules, you'll get in trouble.

I can see why they stopped you tbf it looked to them like you were having a picnic miles away from your house.

Even pre lockdown, a snack during exercise wouldn't have been sitting down having something to eat and drink

Of course it would. Not for everyone all the time, but for hikers, older people and those with young children - sitting down for a drink and something small to eat was not at all uncommon. Of course most people wouldn’t talk about it as “exercise”. They’d say “going for a walk/hike/to the park” or the like.

@Flaxmeadow no, the officer was wrong. Read the guidelines posted in the link on page 1.

People have taken leave if their senses, and I’ve seen much of that in mumsnet too.

@bettybeans they were only a couple of miles from their home. They were local. Also read the guidelines posted earlier in the thread.

Same thing happened to a friend the other day stopped on a bench with her three year old as she was moaning about her legs being tired gave her an apple to shut her up two mins later police told her she must move on...it's a joke

I also don't think you were reported I think they just wanted you to move on

@Mummy0ftwo12 no you absolutely cannot. I’m police staff and I’d be sending officers to move you on. The spirit of going out to exercise is to keep on the move and not stop for games etc. If you do it, then another family comes along and sees you doing it, so they start too, amd before you know it the area is heaving and you cannot maintain distance.
I must wish people would follow the guidelines and stop thinking they’re so fucking special that it doesn’t apply to them
Said with such conviction and venom yet utter horse manure! I really hope you arent a police officer sending colleagues of on wild goose chases.
I wish people especially someone proclaiming to be in the police force would read the guidelines instead of spouting rubbish.

Just stop the picnics
Stopping for a snack and a drink for kids is not a picnic! Op hardly had a blanket and a picnic basket set out! And anyway if you need a rest mid exercise or stop for something to eat its perfectly ok under the guidelines.

If the police cant tell the difference between a drink/ snack for little kids and a full blown picnic then there is something far wrong with thier powers of observation. And its a poor reflection on them when the public have to show the police the rules because they themselves dont know them!

I cannot believe the number of people defending the police from going against the guidelines.

They were totally in the wrong.

@Mummy0ftwo12 no you absolutely cannot. I’m police staff and I’d be sending officers to move you on. The spirit of going out to exercise is to keep on the move and not stop for games etc. If you do it, then another family comes along and sees you doing it, so they start too, amd before you know it the area is heaving and you cannot maintain distance.

This person needs to read the guidelines again before a complaint is made against them. She absolutely can and I'm disgusted that you don't know that.

We're turning into a nation of bullies and busybodies.

They can't possibly legislate for every single tiny little situation
Yet funnily though for this situation they have and op was clearly acting within.the guidelines.