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Defence of Dominic Cummings is shameful, says
ex-Durham police chief
Mike Barton brands UK government ‘self-privileged
hypocrites’ who have damaged public trust
Vikram Dodd
Police and crime correspondent
Published
onSun 24 May 2020 13.35 BST
The former
chief constable of Durham police has launched a strident attack on Dominic
Cummings and the government defending him, branding them self-privileged
hypocrites who have damaged the fight against coronavirus at a time of national
emergency.
Mike Barton,
who stepped down as chief constable last year, said the government’s defence of
Boris Johnson’s chief adviser was causing extensive damage as police try to get
the public to obey lockdown rules.
He told the
Guardian: “It is clear he has broken the rules. It could not be clearer. I
cannot think of a worse example of a breach of the lockdown rules. For it then
to be defended by the government just beggars belief.”
Barton said
the rules were clear: that anyone with symptoms of coronavirus should not leave
their home.
“What is
particularly sad and undermines completely the government position is they seem
to be operating in a bubble of self-privilege and denial when they all should
be leading by example. ‘Hypocrite’ was invented for these circumstances … Of
course it is double standards.”
Barton
added: “It feels like feudal times. We make the rules and it is for you, the
great unwashed, to follow them.”
Barton
attacked the government’s defence of the prime minister’s chief aide, including
the performance by the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, at the daily Downing
Street briefing on Saturday.
“The
government are coming out with weasel words and sophistry,” Barton said. “For
Mr Shapps to be obviously making it up as he goes long shames the government,
shames him and shames us all as a country. It is blatantly stupid what they are
suggesting.”
Under
Barton’s leadership, the Durham force was rated as one of the best-performing
in the country by official inspectors. Jo Farrell, the current chief constable,
who is dealing with the Cummings allegations, was Barton’s deputy.
Barton
warned of wider and serious consequences, saying: “They [ministers] have driven
a coach and horses through these crucial guidelines at a time of national
emergency, simply to save the skin of one of their own.
“This is
not just Dominic Cummings. This is many members of the cabinet supporting
someone who has clearly broken the guidelines, their guidelines, at a time of
national emergency. I find it amazing they are changing the rules to save his
skin.”
The former
chief constable warned it would make the police’s job harder: “I feel for the
thousands of officers negotiating to get people to do what they do not want to
do. This makes the job of policing the lockdown harder. It gives a green light
for people to do what they want.”
He warned
that the Conservatives, who gained power after winning seats in Labour’s
traditional northern heartlands, were damaging themselves. “They are on
probation,” he said. “People who voted for them, I’m not sure they wanted to
bring into power this conceited self-privilege that has been on display for the
past 48 hours.”
Barton said
his former force had handled the matter well. Under his leadership, Durham
police pioneered alternatives to prosecutions and Barton said prosecuting or
fining Cummings would have been pointless. He said: “Fining people does not
bring the R rate down. What brings it down is people following the rules.”
Durham
police tried to avoid punishing people for lockdown breaches. It has been one
of the forces to issue the fewest fines, at about 137 between 27 March and 11
May, compared with North Yorkshire police’s 843.
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