In what will be seen as a tacit appeal to colleagues, he urged forces to heed calls by two of Britain's most senior officers, Dame Cressida Dick and Martin Hewitt, that persuading and educating the public should be the primary goal, rather than resorting to enforcement.

"Preserving the trust and confidence of the public by policing by consent is our mantra, and has been since 1829. There will be a period of readjustment to our new responsibilities," Assistant Commissioner Basu said.

His comments came as Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary, said he fully supported the police.

The Government also issued new figures showing that the lockdown was working in the fight against the spread of the virus. Train journeys, hospital admissions and new infections are falling or stabilising, the figures reveal.

But others have criticised the police for their approach towards those seen to be breaking the lockdown. Lord Sumption, a former justice of the Supreme Court, accused one force of "disgraceful" behaviour akin to a "police state" and acting like "glorified school prefects" in enforcing the Government's social distancing regulations.

"The real problem is that when human societies lose their freedoms, it isn't when tyrants take it away, it is when people willingly surrender their freedom against some external threat – and the threat is usually a real threat, but usually exaggerated. That is what I fear we are seeing now," he said.

Citing Derbyshire Police's use of drones and road checks to stop walkers and people driving to take exercise, Lord Sumption said Britain's police were traditionally "citizens in uniform", not "members of a disciplined hierarchy operating at the Government's command".

"I have to say the behaviour of the Derbyshire Police in trying to shame people by using their undoubted right to travel to take exercise in the country and wrecking beauty spots in the fells so people don't want to go there is frankly disgraceful," he said.

"This is what a police state is like. It is a state where governments can issue orders or express preferences with no legal authority and the police will enforce ministers' wishes.