‘Grass hotline’, big fines are excessive
WHILST I am sure the general view of many in the community is that the Covid-19 crisis is being dealt with professionally and competently by Deputy St Pier and his fellow ‘top bench’ team, there are certain decisions made on the 17 April broadcast which raise serious concerns. For example, the ‘Super Grass Hotline’ and a fine of up to £10,000 for alleged lockdown breaches.
I am absolutely shocked at these severe autocratic measures now being put in place. The truth is most people are adhering to lockdown measures. The ‘inform on your neighbour’ hotline is truly asking for trouble. One area of contention during the Occupation was neighbour reporting neighbour to the authorities. It was a way for warring neighbours to get back at each other for past disagreements. The impact was such files are sealed until 2045 and beyond.
If the ‘grass hotline’ wasn’t bad enough, the fine of up to £10,000 for alleged lockdown breaches is nothing short of utter madness. How can one prove a person is exerting their two-hour rule but doing this in either one-hour or 30-minute sessions? If a person goes for a bike ride for 30 minutes, this leaves a further 1.5 hours of out time to adhere to. But how does that person explain to a law enforcement officer hell bent on issuing a fine they still have 1.5 hours of out time still to use?
Also, is there a real risk of criminalising a section of the population who contest such a fine? No way will any magistrate in Guernsey have any sympathy. Guernsey courts function on the principle that you’re guilty until you prove you’re innocent. Any person receiving a fine will have a record, or any person wishing to contest such a fine and fails will be criminalised, thereby impacting on future employment, etc. What if a person can’t pay the fine? Will there be time to pay? What happens if a person loses a hearing in court, will there be a higher fine or a prison sentence? A person of once good character will be deemed a criminal for life. Surely the cost of policing this and associated court costs outweigh the principle of the move.
Furthermore, if a household is enjoying ‘out time’, do all parties get fined or just one? What if there are children involved? Do child services step in to remove the children because of these lockdown lepers? What about if a dog walker is involved? Will the dog get removed by the GSPCA?
The fines are most certainly a questionable move, because if lockdown is going to be reviewed with certain relaxing taking place, does this not make the whole fine process redundant? Is the fine a knee-jerk reaction to the breaches by a very small group in the community? Also, how much real thought has been given to such a fine of such a high magnitude? Let’s be honest, who the heck can afford a £10,000 fine? In this climate, many can just about afford their rent or food…
The implementation of the fine is nothing short of a stealth tax. Hitting those with nothing, driving household poverty up. A backward step in my opinion, and further degradation of one’s civil liberties and human rights.
When such moves are implemented by a ‘top bench’ – a branch supposed to be representing the voice of the whole government who in turn represents the public – is this a sign they are distracting public attention away from the mistakes they have made, knowing the media will not challenge their decisions?
What is the exit strategy? Because the socio-economic fallout of the virus is massive. Will there also be a whole review of the handling of the crisis to ensure the same mistakes do not occur when the next pandemic hits us? We’ve witnessed immense back-slapping and praising of each other by members of the top bench, but little or no mention of the many, many deputies carrying out superb work in the background supporting the public. It’s very easy to forget those people’s deputies who are isolated and forgotten by the media.
One should also mention the educators and the committee who are ensuring all school-age children are continuing to be educated. True professionals…
I hope to god the private security firms will not receive the statutory powers to issue these fines. This would be further proof this is a transfer of power to a private army which would be so very, very dangerous indeed and feed those who should never, ever have any form of power at all to intimidate the public.
PETE BURTENSHAW
Address withheld.
Editor’s footnote: HSC declined to comment.