ITALIAN police were slammed as "dictators" after sharing drone video of officers swooping to catch a man sunbathing alone on a deserted beach.

The man, who was spotted by the drone, was stunned when cops rode up on two quad bikes and issued him with a fine.

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The sunbather was confronted by police on quad-bikes Credit: Comune di Rimini/Facebook

The drone footage shows the famous seaside resort Rimini completely deserted Credit: Comune di Rimini/Facebook

Police have been using drones to search for people breaking lockdown rules on beaches and in parks Credit: Comune di Rimini/Facebook

In the video, the cops can be seen flying the drone to survey the beach from above before finding the unaware sunbather and the closing in on him while riding quad-bikes.

The unidentified man was visibly surprised to see the two police officers standing above him in the east coast resort Rimini.

Shared by the town's pubic relations office, the footage was intended to demonstrate how the police were enforcing nationwide lockdown rules and how they are covering large areas such as parks and beaches using drones and all-terrain vehicles.

However, the footage caused a backlash against the police's heavy-handed approach.

Comments online complain that the police were going "too far" and that the man was already practising social distancing by being on his own.

One said they were acting like "dictators".

According to the Italian Interior Ministry, 17,500 people were reported over the weekend for failing to comply with social distancing rules.

On Sunday alone, 8,641 people were sanctioned for illegitimate travel, 74 or false declarations and nine for violating quarantine rules.

Meanwhile, the Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte confirmed on Tuesday that country would begin to ease some lockdown measures on May 4, but this would be done by a regional basis.

Italy has been under some of the strictest lockdown measures in Europe since the nationwide quarantine was imposed on March 9, restricting all but necessary movement.

By the end of the week, Conte hopes to reveal the steps that the country will take to loosen restrictions.

In a Facebook post, he said: "We have to reopen on the basis of policy that takes into consideration all the details and cuts across all the data. A serious policy, scientific.

"A reasonable expectation is that we will apply it from May 4."

Italy reported its first drop on Monday in the number of people currently testing positive for the virus since recording its first infection in February.

Since then, Italy became the epicentre of the virus in Europe with more than 24,000 recorded deaths.

The police fined the man for breaking lockdown measures Credit: Comune di Rimini/Facebook