by TIM HICKS

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Introduction

Readers will not be surprised to read that I am of the opinion that the NYE readership is intelligent and enquiring, and takes the time to ensure it is well informed on current affairs at a local and national level.

I therefore have no doubt that they will be aware that Mrs Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s First Minister, has recently been observed by the media attending a funeral wake where she breached the COVID-19 regulations. BBC article here.

Mrs Sturgeon has recently sacked both MP Margaret Ferrier for taking a train journey while infected and her Chief Medical Officer, Dr Catherine Calderwood, for making an unnecessary journey.

So it came as a huge surprise to me when Mrs Sturgeon made a stupid, momentary lapse while attending the wake of a Scottish government civil servant who died from COVID-19.

Specifically, she took her mask off briefly while she was talking with other mourners, while maintaining the correct social distance.

In response to the outpouring of public criticism in the media, Mrs Sturgeon publicly admitted that she had made a mistake and immediately issued a public, sincere and contrite apology for her oversight.

Allegations of Hypocrisy

Police Scotland issued a statement that it did not fine Mrs Sturgeon because she had recognised she had breached the regulations and had apologised.

Following Mrs Sturgeon’s sacking of Mrs Ferrier and Dr Calderwood, some have alleged hypocrisy against her because she did not resign. However, I would differentiate these three cases, on the grounds that Mrs Ferrier and Dr Calderwood committed pre-meditated deliberate acts of disobedience to the regulations, whereas Mrs Sturgeon is only guilty of a momentary lapse and her transgression is therefore of a much lower level of magnitude.

Some commentators have taken the view that Mrs Sturgeon has been given preferential treatment and she should have been fined. I am of the opinion that we are all human and if we make a mistake, the correct response is to apologise and mask up – and that should be the end of it.

Chief Inspector Rachel Wood of North Yorkshire Police (NYP) has confirmed that the approach taken in North Yorkshire is “engaging, explaining and encouraging people to do the right thing, only resorting to enforcement as a final measure”. This is in accordance with national guidelines. So it appears to me that if this had happened in North Yorkshire, or anywhere else, Mrs Sturgeon would not have been fined and NYP would have very properly taken the same line as Police Scotland.

I would also observe that the Metropolitan Police declined to arrest and charge Mrs Ferrier; whilst Police Scotland arrested and charged Mrs Ferrier yesterday. Demonstrating that unlike North Yorkshire Police (NYP), Police Scotland is enforcing the law evenly against prominent public figures.

I am therefore satisfied that Mrs Sturgeon has not received preferential treatment because she is a prominent public figure and should be congratulated for her honesty, and the way she has handled this regrettable oversight. Scottish public opinion, as expressed in the Scottish media so far as I can tell, appears to be supportive.

However, regrettably, that is not the situation amongst pubic figures in North Yorkshire.

The police response to COVID 19 breaches by prominent people in Scotland and North Yorkshire compared

Two prominent persons, Chief Constable Lisa “Air Miles” Winward and Deputy Chief Constable Phil Cain have both committed transgressions of the COVID-19 regulations, which have attracted criticism of them in the national media – thereby bringing discredit upon North Yorkshire Police.

Both are prominent public figures. Neither has issued any denial of the allegation raised in the NYE and the national press that they have breached the COVID-19 regulations. The implication of this is that, de facto, it would appear both officers concede the allegation is accurate.

However, unlike Mrs Sturgeon, neither has issued any statement, explanation or apology.

They appear to be maintaining their right to silence, because unlike Mrs Sturgeon, they do not have enough humility to admit their mistake, apologise and move on. Nor, it appears, do they accept that as pubic figures and Chief Police Officers, they are equal under the law with everyone else and have a duty to be accountable to the public through the media.

SNP MP Mrs Margaret Ferrier

Arrested and charged by Police Scotland. Based on the way the Chief Constable and Deputy Chief Constable of North Yorkshire Police have been treated, if she had been in North Yorkshire, no action would have been taken. Why can’t the people of North Yorkshire have impartial policing to the same standard provided by Police Scotland?

I can do no better than quote Professor Hugh Montgomery, who heads an intensive care at London’s Whittington Hospital, and leads a research group at UCL is quoted in this BBC Article as saying:

“We are in a lot of trouble in UK intensive care now. Just huge numbers coming in, my heart goes out as well to our emergency departments, seeing a tsunami in the last week or two of cases. Everyone is working at maximum stretch.

It is making me actually very angry now that people are laying the blame on the virus, and it is not the virus, it is people, people are not washing their hands, they are not wearing their masks. People will die.”

 He expressed the view that anyone not social distancing or following the rules had:

“…blood on their hands. They are spreading this virus. Other people will spread it and people will die. They won’t know they have killed people but they have. I am watching whole families getting wiped out here, and it’s got to stop.”

The wider implication of this conduct for North Yorkshire Police

The nature of their duties puts Police Officers at a higher risk of infection than the public. They can’t work from home and sometimes have to go into close contact to make arrests.

A recent outbreak of COVID-19 amongst officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland resulted in two Police Stations being closed. Eight officers tested positive for COVID-19, another fifty one were removed from duty, and had to self-isolate at home.

So it is particularly disappointing to see that Chief Constable Winward and Deputy Chief Constable Cain have potentially endangered the health of their colleagues by making unnecessary journeys, not observing social distancing and not wearing masks.

Neither Chief Constable Winward nor DCC Cain have apologised, commented in any way, or admitted any wrongdoing, or suffered any criticism for their actions. Worse, a complaint I made about them on the 23^rd of June 2020 has been ignored. A clear abuse of power.

In short, on the face of it they both appear to have abused their positions to obtain preferential treatment for contravening the Coronavirus regulations, to have behaved as if they are above the law, and not subject to service discipline. Should either Officer issue a denial of this allegation, I will of course ask that it is published in the NYE and issue a retraction.

This also puts both of their subordinates Chief Inspector Rachel Wood or Superintendent Mike Walker -North Yorkshire Police’s Gold Commander for its response to the COVID 19 pandemic in an impossible position.

Superintendent Mike Walker

The police will not tolerate anyone who willingly puts others at risk, by refusing to abide by the regulations. Anyone that acts in such a reckless and irresponsible manner should expect enforcement action to be taken against them unless they are a Chief Police Officer. You should stay at home and save lives, unless you are the Deputy Chief Constable attending a retirement party at Scarborough Police Station, or the Chief Constable unnecessarily visiting Selby Police Station.

Chief Inspector Wood has been quoted as saying:

“To see people having parties and jeopardising that progress is really quite shocking”.

Yet neither Chief Inspector Wood nor Superintendent Walker have taken any action or made any comment about their Chief Officers’ attending a retirement party and undertaking unnecessary journeys. This appears to me to be a fairly clear cut case of double standards and failure to apply the law even-handedly.

This leaves Superintendent Walker and Chief Inspector Wood apparently in breach of the following College of Policing Code of Ethics requirements for police conduct for:

• Honesty and Integrity generally (1).
• Conduct (9).
• Challenging and Reporting Improper Conduct (10).

– requirements they have a duty to uphold. This undermines their credibility and authority, both to their fellow Police Officers, and also to the public.

On a historical note, this is the same type of conduct for which  Chief Constable Stanley Parr of Lancashire Constabulary was dismissed from the service.

So what sort of example is that for Superintendent Walker and Chief Inspector Wood to set to the Police Officers under their command?

Neither of these Officers deserves to be put in this position by their Chief Officers.

Standards of discipline and accountability in NYP compared to Warwickshire Police.

Happily, this sad and sordid state of affairs is not replicated in any other UK force, so far as I can ascertain.

As an example, five Warwickshire Police Officers who breached the regulations by attending a barbecue caused an outbreak of Coronavirus at their police station which affected six of their colleagues.

A spokesperson for Warwickshire Police said:

‘In May 2020 Warwickshire Police identified that five police officers, whilst off duty, may have breached the Covid-19 regulations which were in place at that time. ‘In such circumstances with members of the public, the retrospective issuing of fixed penalty notices was not undertaken, with the force preferring instead to follow the national approach of all police forces at that time which was to explain the regulations and encourage compliance.  

However, recognising the importance of the role we have in protecting the public during the pandemic, we take all allegations of breaches by staff extremely seriously and as such all the officers were subject of a formal investigation and subsequent internal disciplinary proceedings.’

It appears to me to be wrong that in Warwickshire, Police Officers who breach the regulations are subject to disciplinary proceedings, but in North Yorkshire they are not.

Further, this appears to confirm a personal view I have held for some time; that under the leadership of Chief Constable Winward, NYP maintains very much lower standards of discipline and accountability than other forces. In this case Warwickshire Police.

The failure of journalism in Yorkshire

There is another issue here.

The duty of journalists in a democratic society is to hold public bodies and figures to account. This is an important constitutional safeguard.

In respect of this issue, the media in Scotland has held First Minister Sturgeon to account whilst giving balanced coverage. It has done a good job.

However, sad to relate, the same cannot be said of the media in North Yorkshire. None of the mainstream media outlets in Yorkshire have run with the news that the Chief Constable and Deputy Chief Constable are alleged to have breached the COVID-19 regulations, although it has been run in the national press and the NYE.

Why is this?

In the author’s opinion that this is because they are dependent on good relations with the Chief Constable to obtain NYP press releases and briefings. Chief Constable Winward maintains an aggressive media policy of cutting off cooperation with the NYE. I believe this is because the NYE is the only media outlet in North Yorkshire that consistently holds her, North Yorkshire Police, and Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire Mrs Julia Mulligan to account, through public criticism.

This fact will not be lost on the other media outlets in North Yorkshire.

Hence, perhaps, the reason the local media in Yorkshire are servile and do not criticise North Yorkshire Police or Chief Constable Winward. If so, it shows that Chief Constable Winward’s aggressive media policy has worked very well for her.

Paradoxically this has worked to the NYE’s advantage, because it has attracted a thinking, intelligent readership that wants incisive, quality journalism which addresses the major issues in North Yorkshire, instead of pussyfooting around them.

NYE Policy

Be that as it may, the NYE will continue to bring its readers up-to-date crime reportage that does not shy away from controversy, or of criticising public bodies and influential public figures.

The NYE will also continue to support the efforts of the NHS and the vast majority of North Yorkshire Police officers and staff to protect the public by:

• Promulgating police information on the lockdown rules (see below).
• Promulgating appeals for donors who have recovered from COVID-19 from the NHS Blood and Transplant service. Example here.
• Making clear its support for the efforts of Superintendent Mike Walker – Gold Commander for North Yorkshire Police (NYP) – response to the pandemic – and his Officers to protect the public.
• Ridiculing North Yorkshire Police Chief Officers for breaching the Coronavirus Lockdown Regulations. Thereby protecting our police officers by deterring Chief Officers from spreading the infection across multiple police stations and Force Headquarters.
• Highlighting cases of prominent figures that breach the lockdown to raise awareness and try to encourage leadership by example.
• Promulgating cases of successful police operations against those that transgress the lockdown regulations, to try and deter members of the public from endangering everyone’s safety by indulging in unnecessary journeys and social gatherings.

The Lockdown Rules

You can access the lockdown rules using the links provided by NYP below.

Coronavirus (COVID-19)

• Government coronavirus guidance on Gov.uk
• Tell us about a possible breach of coronavirus measures

In this context, to deter people from breaching the lockdown rules, if you become aware of a public figure or police officer breaching the lockdown rules, please photograph or video them using your mobile ‘phone and inform the NYE using the news@nyenquirer.uk e mail.

Right of Reply

If you are mentioned in this article and do not agree with the views expressed in it, or if you wish to correct any factual inaccuracy, please let me know using the letters@nyenquirer.uk e mail address and your views, and a correction will be published if appropriate.

by TIM HICKS

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NYE Media Operations during the coronavirus pandemic

Along with everyone else, the NYE team have feelings of admiration for the NHS and the emergency services and the way they are dealing with the coronavirus pandemic at the risk of their own lives.

The NYE has tried to support the efforts of the NHS and North Yorkshire Police (NYP) to ensure public safety. It has run an article disseminating advice from NYP on crime prevention during the pandemic. NYE article here. We have also published police notices on the new coronavirus lockdown rules.

Deputy Chief Constable Phil Cain

As part of our coverage we discovered that Chief Constable Winward and Deputy Chief Constable Cain have been breaching the Coronavirus Regulations. Between them they have:

• Made journeys that are not absolutely necessary.
• Not maintained the two metre social distancing rules, thereby endangering the health and safety of Police staff.
• Publicly ridiculed members of the public that committed the same offences they themselves committed.
• Taken advantage of their rank and position as Chief Police Officers to ensure they will not be arrested by officers of North Yorkshire Police for contravening the lockdown rules.
• Failed to set the appropriate example to the public and their subordinates in North Yorkshire Police as Chief Police Officers.
• Publicly undermined the efforts of every other Police Officer in North Yorkshire to protect the public by preventing unnecessary travel.
• Issued public statements on social media approving of this conduct, when they should be following the example of the NYE by doing everything they can to discourage it. Thereby making fools of themselves, bringing the force into disrepute and opening it up to ridicule.

Private Eye article

In my opinion, this represents a catastrophic failure of leadership that has endangered lives. So to prevent further abuses and thereby protect the health and lives of police officers, firemen and their families, I have submitted a complaint about both officers to Police Fire and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire Mrs Julia Mulligan. I have received an acknowledgement, but nothing further.

The complaint can be read here.

Right of Reply

I have offered Chief Constable Winward the opportunity of responding and putting her justification for her actions and those of her deputy, but she has declined to respond. Should she choose to do so in the future, then her response will be published.

However, following the announcement below that the Chief Constable would be attending a meeting by video conference to publicise the measures her force was taking during the coronavirus epidemic, I put forward a question to the meeting to ensure that the Chief Constable would be held to account over her conduct.

Mrs Julia Mulligan,
Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire,
12 Granby Road,
Harrogate,
North Yorkshire,
HG1 4ST 

Dear Mrs Mulligan,

Open letter re: The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020

I hope this e mail finds you and all of your colleagues well and safely self-isolated at home. 

I read the announcement below with great interest.  

On behalf of all of the NYE’s readers, I would like to ask a question. As you are aware, the NYE has been supporting the efforts of yourself and the officers of North Yorkshire Police to contain the Coronavirus outbreak. Our coverage is below:

Article North Yorkshire Police Essential Journeys #1 – DCC Cain, here

Article North Yorkshire Police Essential Journeys #2 – DCC Cain, here

Article North Yorkshire Police Essential Journeys #3 – CC Winward, here

Article North Yorkshire Police Essential Journeys #4 – Complaint, here

Article Scarborough Police break the law here

Article North Yorkshire Police Essential Journeys #5 – Complaint, here

Article North Yorkshire Police Essential Journeys #6 – Cressida Dick, here

Article North Yorkshire Police Essential Journeys #7 – Private Eye, here

 In all of these articles, the NYE has taken the opportunity to disseminate the information published by your office and North Yorkshire Police on their respective websites.  

Irrespective of our past differences, I would like to state that I think you and your team have done your best to protect the public during the Coronavirus epidemic. I fully agree with the views you have expressed below: 

“For me, it’s simple – anyone can catch this brutal disease, and anyone can spread it, so those who do not follow the rules are putting themselves and others at risk. We must ensure the huge effort put in by the many who are selflessly complying is not undone by the dangerous few who aren’t.”

However, as a result of social media postings and an NYE investigation, it has emerged that both the Chief Constable and the Deputy Chief Constable have been recklessly endangering the lives of police officers by flagrantly disobeying The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020 and undertaking non-essential journeys to visit police and fire stations. On at least one occasion they did not observe the social distancing regulations and on another participated in an unlawful public gathering. This concerns me because: 

1. 1. When the police arrest someone or take them into custody, police officers cannot maintain social distancing rules. They sometime have to go hands on and that inevitably increases the risk of becoming infected and then passing on the infection to their colleagues, either in a police vehicle, the cells, an interview room, or the narrow confines of a police station. Police Officers are therefore more at risk of contracting COVID 19. Consequently police officers are at a much higher risk of infection from their colleagues and the public, which in turn endangers their families. It only takes one police officer to contract COVID 19 and an entire police station could be infected, with the infection only showing after the incubation period two weeks later.
   2. Firemen are also particularly vulnerable to COVID 19 because when on night shift they sleep in dormitories above the fire station and when on duty attending an emergency, they share the cab of the fire engine in close proximity to each other. Thereby increasing their vulnerability to contracting coronavirus, then returning home and infecting their families.
   3. Chief Officers that do not observe the social distancing rules when visiting police and fire stations risk spreading a COVID 19 outbreak in one police station, to every police and fire Station in North Yorkshire and Force Headquarters. This could lead to loss of life, an outbreak of illness amongst policemen and firefighters requiring several weeks of sick leave that could lead to manpower shortages and a partial failure of policing, and fire fighting in the county.
      

In my opinion it is unacceptable for Chef Constable Winward and Deputy Chief Constable Cain to commit criminal offences, then evade being arrested, cautioned or prosecuted because they are senior policemen, while at the same time issuing statements criticizing members of the public that are being prosecuted for lesser breaches. The media are right to hold the police to account and raise this. As you are aware, to prevent further abuses and thereby protect the health and lives of police officers, firemen and their families, I have submitted a complaint about both officers. Please can you confirm: 

1. 1. That these unlawful gatherings at Police and Fire Stations have been prohibited.
   2. If Chief Constable Winward and Deputy Chief Constable Cain have had the The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020 explained to them and been told not to conduct unnecessary journeys.
   3. When I can expect to have a response to my complaint, or if it is your intention to ignore serious misconduct by senior police officers.
      

Please can you also ensure that Chief Constable Winward and Deputy Chief Constable Cain are given the opportunity of responding to my concerns during the meeting. 

If you do not wish to respond to these requests in the meeting, please can you respond to this letter in writing. I look forward to hearing from you in due course. 

Yours sincerely,

Timothy Hicks

The Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner’s response

Encouragingly, I got a response within an hour from PFCC Mulligan as follows:

“Thank you for your question. It will be presented to the Coronavirus Response meeting.”

Then, no doubt realising that this could result in the Chief Constable and Deputy Chief Constable being criticised I public, I got a revised response: 

“Your enquiries about the meaning and effect of the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020, and the specific legal points you have raised have been referred to the Commissioner’s Chief Executive & Monitoring Officer, Mr Simon Dennis, who will respond separately to you. 

Given that you raise specific matters relating to the regulation of Chief Constable conduct, these matters are not suitable for this afternoon’s live update meeting, which is focussed on the provision of information to the public at large, rather than issues referable to specific members of police personnel.”

A number of points should be made here:

1. PFCC Mulligan had reversed her position from “Thank you for your question. It will be presented to the Coronavirus Response meeting” to “Thank you for your question. It will not be presented to the Coronavirus Response meeting.”
2. My first question related to policy on banning unnecessary travel to gatherings at fire stations for the purpose of clapping. This had nothing to do with specific Police Officers. So this was being used as an excuse by Mrs Mulligan to evade her duty to respond to my question.
3. The remaining questions are matters of public interest relating to the conduct of the Chief Constable and the Deputy Chief Constable. They have been raised in the national press and are legitimate matters of public interest that are in the public domain. I raised them at a public forum because it has been impossible to get a press comment from PFCC Mulligan or the Chief Constable.

As a way forward, I asked for a media statement from PFCC Mulligan, Mr Dennis or Chief Constable Winward, but needless to say, none was forthcoming.

I nevertheless settled down to watch the conference, video here it was actually quite good, with some very important points being made. Commendably, the conference was by video conference from laptops without a face to face meeting, thereby complying with the coronavirus regulations. This does confirm that there was no reason for Chief Constable Winward or Deputy Chief Constable Cain to visit any police station for any reason, given that they could communicate perfectly well with the station using a the video conferencing facility on their laptop.

During the conference, there were numerous references to the Police arresting people that were contravening the Coronavirus Regulations. Conveniently no one mentioned anything about the Chief Constable and the Deputy Chief Constable being arrested, prosecuted or receiving a Police warning and there was no apology, or justification for their actions.

The circumstances appear to be similar to those which led to the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland receiving a formal police caution, for making unnecessary journeys. Exactly the same offence alleged to have been committed by Chief Constable Winward and Deputy Chief Constable Cain.

In the latter case, First Minister Sturgeon made a full and public statement to the media and Doctor Calderwood issued a public apology, before resigning. I thought both ladies behaved with commendable honesty, integrity and openness. I also thought it admirable that Dr Calderwood was treated the same as everyone else.

First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon (left) and Chief Medical Officer for Scotland Doctor Catherine Calderwood (right) at a televised briefing on the Coronavirus pandemic shortly before her resignation

We are all equal under the law and it is wrong in principle for Chief Police Officers to evade prosecution for breaching the coronavirus regulations because of their rank. This is clearly an abuse of power and an issue of legitimate public concern.

The issues are described perfectly by Piers Morgan in this interview with Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon following her decision to sack Dr Calderwood here. Hence his appearance along with Chief Constable Winward in the photoon above.

Yet compare the open and decisive response of First Minister Sturgeon and Dr Calderwood, to the devious and evasive response of PFCC Mulligan and Chief Constable Winward.

Media policy of North Yorkshire Police and the Police Fire and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire

To quote David Davis MP, a leading advocate of press freedom:

“A truly free press must be able to expose uncomfortable truths, highlight underperforming governmental departments and be a nuisance to the establishment.  

Journalists must be able to investigate, probe and expose issues of legitimate public concern. 

If our press is unable to do this, then society will suffer for it.”

None of the local media outlets has run with the news that the Chief Constable and Deputy Chief Constable have been breaching the lockdown rules even though it has run in the national press. There has been a wall to wall media blackout in North Yorkshire, thereby denying the people of North Yorkshire access to information on a controversial issue.

Only the NYE is publicising this issue of legitimate public interest in North Yorkshire.

Both Chief Constable Winward (pictured above) and Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan have a policy of ignoring media requests from the NYE.

In my opinion this is because the NYE is the only media outlet in North Yorkshire that holds NYP to account. Their response to this latest issue of misconduct by North Yorkshire Police Chief Officers is in my experience typical of their attitude. This is consistent with principles 1 – 6 of their media policy SAVILEFOXWIN:

1. Immunity: Elected representatives, public officials and bodies should be immune from criticism or being held accountable for their personal conduct, actions, policy and/or stewardship of public money.
2. Secrecy: The public should have no right to any official information or any knowledge of how their money is spent. Information should only be divulged if it is non-controversial and then only as a gratuitous/unnecessary act of kindness on the part of the public body.
3. Protection: Whenever there is crime, misconduct or waste by elected representatives or public officials, the public body has a duty to conceal it from the public, to protect the individuals concerned from any consequences for their actions.
4. Censorship: Public bodies should uphold freedom of speech, freedom of information and freedom of the press, unless it involves of criticism of elected officials, public servants and/or public bodies. If this occurs, censorship is acceptable to protect them from criticism and protect the public from the truth.
5. Intransigence: All criticism must be ignored, no matter how much it costs the taxpayer, or the reputational damage to the public body.
6. Unaccountability: Public bodies and officials should not be accountable to the public. They have no duty to respond to criticism or public concern.

The Lockdown Rules

The NYE will continue to do everything it can to support the efforts of Assistant Chief Constable Walker and the vast majority of NYP officers, who are doing their best to police a pandemic at some considerable risk to themselves, by disseminating police advice on the Coronavirus pandemic.

• The lockdown rules are explained in this excellent article from the BBC, here.
• Latest advice from NYP, here.
• Excellent source for official advice from the Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire, here.
• Advice from the Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire to stay away from the Yorkshire Coast and save lives, here.
• Advice from the Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire on protecting the vulnerable, here.
• Statement from North Yorkshire Police on its enforcement strategy, here.

Right of Reply

If you are mentioned in this article and do not agree with the views expressed in it, or if you wish to correct any factual inaccuracy, please let me know and your views and/or a correction will be published if appropriate.

by TIM HICKS

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Introduction

Along with everyone else, I have feelings of admiration for the emergency services and the way they are dealing with the coronavirus pandemic at the risk of their own lives. The NYE has tried to support the efforts of the NHS and North Yorkshire Police (NYP) to ensure public safety by disseminating advice from NYP on crime prevention during the pandemic.

I believe passionately in leadership by example and was appalled by the conduct of Deputy Chief Constable (DCC) Phil Cain, who is apparently breaching the lockdown rules by undertaking unnecessary journeys and not maintaining social distancing rules. NYE articles below:

• “North Yorkshire Police Essential Journeys #1”, here.
• “North Yorkshire Police Essential Journeys #2”, here.

Chief Constable Lisa Winward also undertakes non-essential travel

In this statement of policy, Chief Constable Lisa Winward remarks on the lockdown rules:

“Anyone who thinks this does not apply to them is putting lives at risk. North Yorkshire Police will use all powers we have to stop that, to keep us all safe and to ultimately save lives”.

Stirring stuff indeed. It is clear from her statement that Chief Constable Winward believes that anyone breaching the lockdown rules is endangering life and should be severely dealt with, using the full weight of the law.

So I was shocked to read during my review of DCC Cain’s Twitter account that Chief Constable Chief Constable Lisa Winward may also have undertaken non-essential journeys. This time to Skipton, which – bizarrely for a time of crisis – took up the time of Police Sergeants Earnshaw and Stubbs “looking after” her.

To be fair, Chief Constable Winward has not revealed why she visited Skipton. But at a time of a pandemic, I would expect her to be at force headquarters or self-isolated at home. I am not aware of any major incident or emergency at Skipton that is so grave it would require the operational presence of the Chief Constable to control it. Or any other reason that would require “absolutely necessary” travel to Skipton Police Station. So the conclusion is inescapable that her attendance there was unnecessary. Or more precisely, not “absolutely necessary”.

Two Idiots

DCC Cain issued a Tweet about a couple that were fined for breaking the lockdown rules. In this tweet he states:

“Two idiots have been fined for breaking lockdown rules by driving to Scarborough to view a second hand car.”

This appears to be essentially the same behaviour exhibited by DCC Cain and Chief Constable Winward.

The wider implications

In a crisis of this magnitude and projected duration, I would expect the Chief Constable to be available at Force Headquarters to provide command and control. Not swanning around the county on jollies, to obtain personal PR opportunities with silly tweets about two sergeants “looking after her”.

The question has to be asked, what was it that was so important about the Chief Constable’s visit that it removed Police Sergeants Earnshaw and Stubbs from police operations to save life by enforcing the lockdown rules during the greatest crisis this country has faced since the Second World War? Can’t she look after herself on a visit to one of her own police stations?

The Chief Medical Officer for Scotland Catherine Calderwood was recently forced to resign by Scotland’s First Minister for undertaking two non-essential journeys of forty-four miles each in her private life. BBC article here. Dr Calderwood was also given a formal police warning for breaking the lockdown rules.

First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon (left) and Chief Medical Officer for Scotland Doctor Catherine Calderwood

at a televised briefing on the Coronavirus pandemic shortly before her resignation (right)

Scottish Police Federation General Secretary Calum Steele has been quoted as saying:

“The job of policing during this Covid-19 epidemic just got that little bit harder this morning…..There are literally thousands of families climbing the walls of their own homes desperate for respite and would love to perambulate by the sea but don’t. We also have thousands of police making sure they don’t. You try being a police officer explaining that to someone today.”

Following Dr Calderwood’s resignation, Ms Sturgeon commented that Dr Calderwood’s actions risked undermining the government’s public health strategy.

Some will argue that, as Chief Officers, the Chief Constable and Deputy Chief Constable have to get around to visit the troops on the ground, maintain morale and know what is going on. I disagree. The lockdown rules allow work travel only if “absolutely necessary“.

By indulging in non-essential travel at work, when the government has ordered businesses to close to prevent this, Chief Constable Winward and Deputy Chief Constable Cain are essentially indulging in exactly the same offending that Dr Calderwood indulged in. Worse, both officers are important figures representing the public face of the fight against Coronavirus in North Yorkshire. By blatantly and publicly contravening the lockdown rules, diverting police resources away from operational duties, indulging in non-essential travel and not respecting social distancing, they have undermined the efforts of the police to protect the public.

I believe passionately in leadership by example. This is a classic example of NYP Chief Police Officers ignoring the rules and doing whatever they please. They both publicly delivered repeated warnings against unnecessary travel on the grounds that it endangered life. Then flaunted the lockdown rules on multiple occasions, whilst referring to members of the public that did the same as “idiots”. How arrogant and irresponsible is that?

In my opinion, the behaviour of both officers is a disgrace and unacceptable.

This has an immediate impact of undermining the efforts of police officers on the ground in North Yorkshire to enforce the law. From now on when they stop a motorist to ascertain if their travel is unnecessary, I have no doubt they will be told that if it is OK for Chief Police Officers to break the rules then it is OK for everyone else. This puts the ordinary North Yorkshire Police Constable in an impossible position when dealing with the public at a traffic stop.

The Lockdown Rules

The NYE will continue to do everything it can to support the efforts of the vast majority of NYP officers, who are doing their best to police a pandemic at some considerable risk to themselves, by disseminating information on the Coronavirus.

In this interview (here), Chief Constable Nick Adderley of Northamptonshire Police asserts that the police will be “honing in” on members of the public (but presumably not Chief Constables and Deputy Chief Constables) that do not follow the lockdown rules. He emphasises that, under the new legislation, they can be fined or arrested. They are also subject to arrest under existing police powers under anti-social and public order legislation.

For NYP Chief Officers and other “idiots” that are unaware of the lockdown rules, they can be read in this excellent article from the BBC, here.

Latest advice from NYP here.

Excellent source for official advice from the Police Fire and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire here.

Advice from the Police Fire and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire to stay away from the Yorkshire Coast and save lives here.

Assistant Chief Constable Mike Walker is North Yorkshire Police’s Gold Commander for leading the response to the outbreak. He is, quoted in this article as stating:

“The majority of people across York and North Yorkshire have listened to the Government’s guidance and have stayed at home and I thank them for that. But there are still a minority of people who are ignoring it. With Easter approaching, we understand people’s wish to visit family and friends but please remember the very serious reasons why this is not possible right now. 

No-one could fail to be moved by the images we’ve seen over the past few weeks, from a child’s funeral to exhausted NHS staff who are risking their own live to save ours. We really are all in this together, so I urge everyone to please remember why we all have to stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives. 

We’ll be continuing our high-visibility patrols over the weekend and will continue to engage, explain and encourage members of the public to adhere to the guidelines. We will only use enforcement if we have to. As we have seen from our patrols this week, the vast majority of people who we have spoken with were out for genuine reasons, but there are some who continue to flout the rules. Please don’t be one of them. And remember everything that North Yorkshire has to offer will still be here when we have come through this.” 

ACC Mike Walker

Doing his best along with everyone else at NYP except the senior command team to protect the public.

Right of Reply

I have provided Chief Constable Winward with a copy of this article and the other article I have written on this subject and asked for a press comment. I have not received one.

The Chief Constable has a policy of ignoring media requests from the NYE. In my opinion, this is because the NYE is the only media outlet in North Yorkshire that holds NYP to account, but no doubt Chief Constable Winward would disagree on this. Suffice it to say that if she wishes to respond to my enquiry, or comment on the article, her response will be published.

Further, I will issue a retraction and apology for any error in the article.

Codhead goes international.

[Satire]