Today I woke to the news that Derbyshire Police had, again, overstepped the mark while trying to enforce government policy. There are many examples of how UK Police services are becoming increasingly detached from normality and I think today's new confirms this beyond a doubt.
Police Dump Black Dye into Blue Lagoon to Deter Public Visitors...
pic source
Derbyshire Police dumped the dye in the water at Harpur Hill in Buxton, a beauty spot which draws hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. This action was taken after Police had been informed that large numbers of people where ignoring government advice on the current Corona lockdown situation. However, this spiteful reaction by the Police seems to have backfired as photographers are now tempted by the unusual sight.
Derbyshire Police defended their tactics and released this statement on Facebook;
'No doubt this is due to the picturesque location and the lovely weather (for once) in Buxton. However, the location is dangerous and this type of gathering is in contravention of the current instruction of the UK Government.
'With this in mind, we have attended the location this morning and used water dye to make the water look less appealing.'
Local residents responded angrily to the statement. Alex John Desmond wrote on Facebook: 'This is a joke, the way this force is acting is not representative of policing by consent which is the way the UK is meant to be governed. You should be ashamed of yourselves. You have taken something beautiful and damaged it.'
Project Alienation
Rightly so, many who viewed the recording pointed out that the people recorded in this footage were either walking alone or upholding the 2-meter social distancing recommendations.
What's even more concerning, is how the Police then went on to use the drones and record car number plates, tracking the owners to their homes. I could understand such tactics if this were in the context of a real criminal, but this is about people going to a remote location for a walk! But, then again, we are witnessing the recreation of what is "normal" in our society and I'm afraid that, even after this corona-crisis has faded away, these new "norms" will be stained into the fabric of our society.
Thankfully, I'm not the only person who's speaking out against these Orwellian campaigns...
Silkie Carlo, director of Big Brother Watch said:
“Police spying on innocent members of the public with drones to shame them on social media is excessive. It’s not at all clear what police powers are being used to do this.
“It’s critical we protect public health and critical we protect basic democratic norms too. Arbitrary policing will not help the country to fight this pandemic.”
Chief Constable Peter Goodman, the son of a clergyman and a nurse, was appointed to lead Derbyshire Constabulary in 2017 after 29 years serving the public. In an interview with The Daily Mail, CC Goodman said: 'Never in the history of policing have there been so many fantastic tools to help us catch criminals and solve crimes. I believe this pace of change will continue into the future.'
And Speaking of "what's to come in the future", here is a video from Neath Port Council, Wales, that gives us a creepy insight into tomorrow's world...
Full report by The Independent
Like I said earlier, we are seeing a new world order and systems are being put into place that will be around forever. Today, it's a harmless drone flying over your head, politely informing you to "Stay at home". However, in the future, I predict we'll be seeing a much more aggressive version of this and who knows what rules it will be enforcing upon us...
