Officers arriving in three police cars descended upon a recreation hall after tip-offs that it was holding an illegal rave, only to find it full of senior citizens being vaccinated against the Chinese coronavirus.
While Essex Police claimed it was responding to reports of “congestion” at the Essex Freemasons’ Saxon Hall in Southend on Friday, the venue’s chairman said that when the officers arrived, they had told him they had come to investigate an illegal rave.
Dennis Baum told the Daily Gazette on Wednesday: “It was really funny when the police arrived as they had been notified that there was a ‘rave’ taking place at Saxon Hall — only to find 80 and 90 year-olds on wheelchairs, zimmer frames and walking sticks, patiently queueing for their vaccinations.
“Grumpy old men and grumpy old women were in abundance. Nevertheless, as a balancing act many more very appreciative people couldn’t have been more grateful to receive the vaccine and to Saxon Hall and the Freemasons for facilitating it,” Mr Baum added. Officers then returned later on to help with traffic management.
The report comes after another force was accused of heavy-handedness after 20 West Midlands Police Officers invaded a top-floor Birmingham flat after reports of a party, only to find three people in it, two of whom were residents.
Young YouTuber Jayden Gray filmed with incredulity as the officers filed into his home, with five cornering his girlfriend in the kitchen, fining her for being in a residence where she did not live.
Mr Gray also described how police had covered the peephole and refused to announce who they were when the cautious 18-year-old refused to open the door until he knew who was on the other side of it.
“If they expected a party it made no sense for everyone to enter the building. I live in an apartment on the top floor. If there was a party, we couldn’t get out of the apartment because we’re not going to jump out.
“I feel like they were trying to make a point,” the young man said, adding that “the way they handled it is not right”.
British police are not just going after “raves” and parties, but small gatherings of fewer than a dozen people.
Gloucester police fined four people at a private residence on the weekend because they were from two different households, and forced six people to leave after the group had met up in an outdoor space.
The raiding of the house in Stroud happened “following reports of a social gathering” — suggesting that a neighbour had informed.
Britons appear largely in favour of the Police State in Britain, with a plurality recently stating that they did not think forces had cracked down enough on alleged covid rule-breakers.
A poll this week revealed that nearly half — 45 per cent — would support the government using mobile phone data to track citizens’ movements to make sure that they were not breaking lockdown.
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