Covid-19 and Lockdown
In response to the sweeping powers granted to all beat officers and their superiors following the COVID-19 pandemic, the People Public Trust is once again moving into action to enable and empower the people of the UK to hold their public servants to rightful account for the humanity of their service at a time when everyone is getting used to new ways of living.
Our Observers record and report as to whether individual public servants are fulfilling the fundamental Trust the People have placed in them: to have the wellbeing of the individual members of the Public as their highest personal priority at all times.
This is not to obstruct the essential work of such public servants, but to ensure a humaneness and respect within that service, in whatever form it may take, and to hold to account when this is not be the case.
Just as we all get used to restrictions around our domestic living, so do public servants and police officers have to get used to their new powers. This will come with extraordinary psychological challenges, pressures and tests in these times as everyone learns, and some inevitably get it wrong on the learning curve to a fair and just application of the new rules we all live with..
The Peoples Public Trust has perhaps never been more needed to help ensure this, the largest shift in public power and freedom in hundreds of years, is adapted to with humanity, respect, and community-mindedness.
Potential Co-Vid Peoples' Public Trust Activity:
- Local Patrols who record, report or intervene in instances of suspected bullying or excessive force by police officers . Just being present and declaring you are an Observer for the Trust is often enough to get a more humane service or to de-escalate a serving officer who may be inexperienced, immature, or have lost temper (and therefore may be in breach of Oath.)
- On-site and On-line Training for Police and other public facing security in maintaining a humanity and respect in service, despite the challenges.
- Taking direct legal action against public servants who are evidenced to have broken the public trust, or the law
- This could include taking Government to court over extra lockdown restrictions, for example, or unreasonable extensions and so on.