Pensioner gets visit from police over socially distanced cup of tea.

[MercyBooth]

www.itv.com/news/westcountry/2021-03-18/pensioner-given-covid-breach-warning-over-socially-distanced-cup-of-tea

Doesnt it make you glad to be alive.

So you are not even allowed in your own garden now?
It's getting more and more authoritarian.

Some people on MN would have reported her. They would shop their own granny for a head pat from the covid police.

Firstly what nasty person reported her. Secondly what on earth are the police doing chasing stuff like that up. Thirdly why on earth are they going inside a person's house? I feel sorry for her!

If it was a communal garden then surely she wasn't breaking the law anyway.

And in what world do two police officers knock on a pensioners door that late at night for such petty shit.

Police offers should be ashamed of themselves. They can barely turn up to a robbery/domestic violence incident. They’re sooo busy. Yet they waste resources on this.

I'd bet my right bollock that it's a mumsnetter that's reported that old lady.

Of course I don't have bollocks but I'm too superstitious to bet my right tit

types of people join/are allowed to join the police force given this last week. Surely the skill in weirding such power is understanding when and when not to use it’
The police can't pick and choose who they investigate - or do you want them to decide eg that that nice old gent (who turns out to be a paedophle) isn't worth looking into, or the friendly person who happens to be growing cannabis - they investigate reported crimes.
To the postercomplaining about youths hanging about did you actually report them to the police for breaking covid rules or whatever- no?Then that's why no one spoke to themo

But the only 'crime' was sitting in a communal garden drinking tea. The police were not going to find an OAP drugs ring.

Maybe the Police are right?
It starts out as a sedate cup of tea on the lawn but can quickly descend into a rave with hundreds of people squashed together, taking drugs, drinking, using foul language and I don't know what.
Nip it in the bud, I say.

@AnaisNun

This is the bit that worries me:

A force spokesperson said: “An officer has spoken to the complainant and an explanation was provided in response to concerns raised. She was content with this and the matter has been resolved.”

Why are the police reporting back to spiteful “complainants”? Why did SHE need to be content so that the matter could be resolved?

That is 100% not how policing works, where you are not the direct victim of a crime.

What utter bobbins.

That is utterly chilling. You'd have to wonder how it would have played out if the dick who reported it had not been "content" with the police's handling of the matter

The complainant is the person who complained about the police calling on this pensioner NOT the person who reported the social gathering to the police.
Oops, missed this

You are right, one minute Beryl and Gladys are drinking tea the next minute they are eating a nice garibaldi. Where will it all end.

At what age does following the law become optional?

@Sundances

types of people join/are allowed to join the police force given this last week. Surely the skill in weirding such power is understanding when and when not to use it’ The police can't pick and choose who they investigate - or do you want them to decide eg that that nice old gent (who turns out to be a paedophle) isn't worth looking into, or the friendly person who happens to be growing cannabis - they investigate reported crimes. To the postercomplaining about youths hanging about did you actually report them to the police for breaking covid rules or whatever- no?Then that's why no one spoke to themo

They do pick and choose. That's the problem.

Women call to report abuse and sexual assault but get told to piss off because the police say they don't have the resources for such trivial matters. Can't possibly trouble the perpetrator based on the woman's mere word.

But an easy chance to throw their weight around and they're all over it.

When was sitting in a communal garden against the law? The garden belongs to all the residents so they can all sit in it.

This is the end result of all the doom mongers on here frequently telling all and sundry they are ‘murdering’ others if they nip out for a Kit Kat. We can’t say we weren’t warned 😐

@Strangekindofwoman 😂😂

@HazelWong

At what age does following the law become optional?

If you think having a cup of tea in the garden with a neighbour warrants a police visit you need to have a long hard look at yourself.

At what age does following the law become optional?

At what point has sitting in your own garden been against the law?

@MaxNormal

At what age does following the law become optional?

At what point has sitting in your own garden been against the law?

Socialising with people from other households in your garden is illegal at the moment and that's what was reported

What an absolute disgrace the police are. My God.

There was another thread on here a couple of weeks ago about someone who lived opposite a drug dealer and the comings and goings were making her life hell. The general consensus was (1) don’t expect the police to help, and (2) why should the police help anyway?

This country is finished. Anyone over the age of about 45, who remembers what it used to be like before the lunatics took over the asylum knows that.

@ZenNudist

Easy to go and intimidate some pensioners. Perhaps they could speak to groups of 6 6ft burly men cycling in the paths in a group near my house, or the large mixed groups which congregate in my local park, or the group's of 20 teenage lads biking on the roads all together in my area not social distancing at all. A city where police and pcso are often passing by.

It seems that whenever there is lockdown rules to enforce its easier to speak to women or the elderly.

They did manage to break up a socially distanced outdoor worship at my friends church which was in the rules but after the police turned up no one wanted to continue.

I have a very low opinion of the police after all this.

Have you reported them?

Totally agree this was completely over the top and unnecessary from the police and whoever complained and the lady in question is quite rightly getting some sympathy from posters on here, as she does from me it's bloody ridiculous, however if this was a couple of 19yo lads having a beer together the responses would have been very different

Socialising with people from other households in your garden is illegal at the moment and that's what was reported
If only the police were called for all crimes . I saw someone drop litter today shall I report that ?

If a couple of 19 year old lads who lived in sheltered housing were sitting in a communal shared garden having a beer. My response would be exactly the same.