Coronavirus: Policing will become ‘more challenging if England and Scotland take different approaches to lockdown restrictions’

‘It would be harder than it’s been,’ says chief constable of Police Scotland

PM and Sturgeon: there have been clear signs of friction between No 10 and devolved administrations (Getty)

Policing will become more challenging during the coronavirus lockdown if England and Scotland take different approaches to the relaxations of the restrictions, the chief constable of Police Scotland has suggested.

Asked on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme whether an easing of rules in England would be “problematic”, Iain Livingstone replied: “I think it would make consistency of the public messaging harder, people would be hearing different things when they listen to different forms of media.”

The warning comes as Boris Johnson, who has promised “maximum caution” when tinkering with lockdown measures, prepares to deliver an address to the nation on Sunday, outlining the government’s next steps.

While Mr Livingstone said people are used to distinctions between Scotland and England, on issues such as the judiciary and drink driving, he added: “It would be harder than it’s been, but I’m confident that police would be able to respond to any differentials that the politicians decide upon.”

Asked whether policing in the next phase of the coronavirus outbreak will be more challenging generally, he replied: “I think that’s a fair comment.

“Clearly any move away from what’s been a very clear message of ‘Stay at home, protect the NHS, and save lives’ – it has been absolutely consistent for the last six to seven weeks – any easement or any change around that that has a level of distinction, whether that’s by locality, whether that’s by sector, whether that’s by criteria, age or occupation, inevitably adds a level of complexity.”

The UK government has spoken of a “four-nations approach” to tackling the crisis but there have been clear signs of frictions between No 10 and the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in recent days.

On Friday, Mark Drakeford set out “modest” relaxations to the restrictions in Wales ahead of Downing Street, saying rules will be eased on garden centres opening and exercise more than once a day will be permitted.

Speaking to the BBC, however, the Welsh first minister said he believed there would be a “common approach” to easing the lockdown across the UK.

“It’s inevitable that we have to fine-tune that approach to meet the different circumstances of different parts of the United Kingdom but I think that we will move forward in the same basic way,” Mr Drakeford said.

Mr Drakeford said it was “definitely not” his intention for his announcement on Friday to pressurise Mr Johnson into coming into step with Wales.

“My responsibility is to tell people in Wales the regime that they will be facing over the next three weeks,” he said.

“Our three-week review ended on Friday and I was keen to make sure that people in Wales know the decisions that their government are making on their behalf.

“It’s not intended to be a form of pressure or anything else on anybody else, it’s simply in a devolved United Kingdom – 20 years of devolution – to discharge the responsibilities that we have in Wales in a way that demonstrates to people in Wales the decisions that we are making for them.”