UK ministers did not understand their own Covid rules, says ex-police chief

Peter Fahy says confusion caused ‘huge resentment’ among officers trying to enforce lockdown rules

Ministers did not understand their own Covid lockdown rules, causing confusion and resentment among the police officers tasked with enforcing them, according to a former police chief.

Officers were criticised in 2020 and 2021 for their hardline interpretation of the regulations, which involved them monitoring people with drones, fining people going for walks with cups of coffee and handing out leaflets asking why people were outside.