Awks.. Police backtrack after chief threatened to search shoppers' trolleys
Author: Wardah Sempa | Friday 10th April 2020
Awks.. Police have been forced to reassure people that they will not be searching their shopping trolleys after a chief constable threatened the measure if "we don't get the compliance we would expect".
Northamptonshire Police chief constable Nick Adderley received a lot of backlash after saying the police was "only a few days away" from "marshalling supermarkets and checking the items in baskets and trolleys to see whether it's a legitimate, necessary item". He also warned roadblocks would be set up if members of the public did not adhere to government guidelines designed to curb the spread of coronavirus.
Within hours of his comments in a news conference being reported, the force's official Twitter account moved to contradict him.
To clarify some suggestions made in the media, we absolutely will NOT be searching people's shopping trolleys in Northamptonshire.
— Northants Police #StayHomeSaveLives (@NorthantsPolice) April 9, 2020
The same message was communicated to our officers from the very moment we were given these new powers... https://t.co/tbBybJXtY8
Looking at the current COVID-19 legislation, polices would have no legal basis to search shopping baskets.
