From dancing Indian police to dog-walking drones: How countries around the world are enforcing lockdowns

'Where the f*** are you going? Go back home', Italian mayor screams from drone

Police forces and officials have deployed a range of unlikely approaches to ensure coronavirus lockdowns are enforced - from making use of robotics to singing to the public to boost morale.

Roughly a third of the world’s population is facing lockdown measures of some kind in an attempt to mitigate the spread of the virus which has infected more than one million people across the globe.

And in a bid to boost morale and maintain social distancing, authorities have had to employ a range of tactics to keep the public on side.

In one attempt to keep officers safe while also enforcing the law, Tunisia has deployed armoured robots to chastise the public for leaving the house in the city of Tunis, the country’s most populous state and the site of the majority of its infections.

In video footage of one exchange, a member of the public can be seen being told off by the robot’s operator as he patrols the streets through the lens of the remote-controlled machine.

However, Tunisia is not the only nation to call on robotic support for enforcing lockdown policies.

In Europe in particular, drones have been deployed to offer stern warnings to members of the public. Cateno De Luca, the mayor of Messina in Sicily, Italy, has recorded himself shouting “Where the f*** are you going? Go back home” so that the message can be broadcast to pedestrians in the region.

Similar measures have also been deployed in the Spanish capital of Madrid. “We won’t hesitate to use all the measures we have at our disposal to look out for your safety and everyone’s safety,” the city’s police department said on Twitter, alongside a video of pedestrians being warned off the street via a loudspeaker.

Drones have also been deployed in the UK, with Derbyshire police criticised for using the equipment to film and shame dog walkers in the isolated peak district on social media.

Elsewhere in India one officer has found a way to grab the attention of the public without raising his voice. Rajesh Babu, a police inspector from Chennai, India, dons a specially designed ‘coronavirus’ helmet covered in its trademark prongs as he carries out his daily duties.

The headgear was designed by Artist B. Gowtham, also of Chennai, who felt people were not adequately isolating because they could not see the virus - and that the helmet would serve as a reminder to those flouting policies on social distancing.

The slightly bizarre public information campaign approach has also spread to the south west of the country. In Kerala, officers recorded a group dance as they performed the different stages of the world health organisation’s recommendations on hand washing.

Music has been deployed by forces across the globe - although more commonly it is being used to boost morale, as opposed to teaching the public a lesson on proper hygiene.

In Andorra police arrived on the street with a loudspeaker to play Pinkfong song Baby Shark - a tune beloved by children if not by their parents - to entertain young residents.

And songs have been used to appease older citizens too - such as in Mallorca, Spain, where police drove into the town of Algaida only to emerge from their vehicles and serenade locals with a guitar and vocal performance.