Nearly 80 per cent of the respondents to the latest caycompass.com online poll think the police should either always obtain a warrant to conduct a search of a home, or do so without one only under extreme circumstances when someone’s safety is at risk.
The poll came at a time when there is proposed legislation to allow police to search homes if they suspect an illegal gun is in the premises.
Of the 526 respondents to the poll, 221 (42 per cent) thought the police should only be able to search a home without a warrant under extreme circumstances.
‘Brute force and ignorance are no substitutes for great police work,’ said one of the respondents. ‘Excellent investigation and intelligence work need to be the cornerstones of policing, not the unbridled ability to enter without a warrant.
‘On the other hand, they should be given some amount of latitude to continue to pursue suspects actively involved in a chase.’
Other respondents worried the police were asking for too much power.
‘The abuse of power most certainly follows the power to abuse,’ said another person. ‘This is not a police state and the basic rights to privacy of citizens need to be protected.’
‘If the police want to flex their muscles why not start with a visible presence and proper enforcement of existing laws,’ said someone else. ‘Why are there police cars with tinted windows? It is against the law.’
Another 193 people (36.7 per cent) thought the police should never be able to search a home without a warrant.
‘You should still have to get a warrant for drugs and firearms, unless someone is in the process of using firearms,’ said one person.
‘Allowing law enforcement to enter an establishment without a warrant may lead to an eventual abuse of power,’ said someone else.
‘The police are getting too much power around here and there aren’t enough checks and balances in place to prevent the possibility of abuse,’ said another respondent. ‘There is no way they should be able to search a home just on the suspicion of drugs or firearms without a warrant.’
‘If there is strength in their case – which there should be before even considering a search – getting a warrant should be a simple process,’ said another person. ‘Why strip the public of its right to privacy? Can you imagine how that will be manipulated by a corrupt officer?’
Seventy-three respondents (13.9 per cent) said the police should be able to enter a home without a warrant if they suspect drugs or firearms are on the premises.
‘Police access is necessary when there is reasonable suspicion of illicit activity,’ said one person. .
‘[The police] must only be allowed to enter if the process of obtaining a warrant would cause evidence to be destroyed or cause undue danger to officers or the public,’ said someone else. ‘I believe exigent circumstances… must exist for a warrant less search.’
Thirty-seven respondents (seven per cent) thought the police should be able to conduct a search of a home without a warrant whenever they wanted to, and two people (0.4 per cent) were not sure.
‘What about cars,’ asked one person.
‘If they have to wait for a warrant, it may be too late,’ said another person.
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