(Attorney Bob Buckingham. Archive photo.)
A local lawyer says the least the RCMP can do is apologize to a West Coast family who were startled when police stormed their home overnight and began questioning their 11-year-old daughter in her bedroom.
Police responded after a complaint showed that a missing girl was seen entering the house.
The RCMP says it has the power to enter a home without a warrant under certain conditions, including public or private security.
The family says they are taking legal action as a result of the incident.
St. John’s lawyer, Bob Buckingham, says that without knowing all the circumstances that led to the incident, he is still causing obvious concerns.
“It is clearly doubtful whether the police acted correctly when they entered the house that night,” Buckingham said. Not only that, says the lawyer, but “such mistakes can lead to tragic consequences.” He speculated about what might have happened if the people inside the house thought that the police were intruders and that he had a gun in his hand for protection, “something serious could have happened”.
