The PA news agency, like, totally reported on Monday about an email that was passed onto them by a third party between a police inspector in Glasgow and an MSP. The cop was all like, “Yo, legal advice from Police Scotland lawyers and the Crown Office says we can’t enforce the legislation when clinics aren’t open.” The whole thing started when the MSP was like, “Hey, what’s up with that protest outside the Sandyford Clinic in Glasgow by the Scottish Family Party on April 12? People are super bummed about it.”
In response, the inspector brought up this similar thing that went down in March at a clinic in Edinburgh. Apparently, they asked for advice and were told they couldn’t enforce the ban if the clinic wasn’t open, and the Crown wouldn’t prosecute. But now, Police Scotland is saying that, actually, the legislation can be enforced all the time. “The Safe Access Zone legislation is in place 24/7, so we can totally enforce it whenever,” said a Police Scotland spokesperson.
They also said, like, they always gotta figure out if there’s any criminal stuff going on before taking action. And, like, it depends on a bunch of stuff, like if the clinic is closed or not. For example, the law could still be enforced if a clinic is closed but there’s still someone there working late. Or if a protester puts up posters late at night and they’re still there in the morning when people show up at the clinic.
The spokesperson was all, “Each situation is different, so officers will chat with people, explain the law, and try to get them to follow it before doing anything else.” They’ll only enforce it if they really have to, you know?
So yeah, it’s all a bit confusing, honestly. Like, not really sure why this matters, but the legislation is there all the time, and the cops will do their thing if they gotta. Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like this whole situation is a bit of a mess. But hey, that’s just how things go sometimes, I guess.
