‘Police Say They Won’t Enter Homes Without Permission Again’
I decided to shoot a video response to the below article. All these officers should be fired for breaking into people’s homes without cause. The simple apology and shelter from the court is simply ridiculous.
Posted on March 30th, 2010 by Paul Allison
Police ‘burglars’ who helped themselves to valuables in student houses have had to stop their crime prevention campaign because they realised they were breaking the law.
A police team of 16 officers entered 50 homes in Exeter, piled up possessions like laptops, personal stereos and games consoles and left them in a bag marked “swag” with a note explaining what had happened.
Neighbourhood beat manager PC Rob Bolt said: “We expected to find some insecure properties but were amazed by the number left open. Neighbourhood officers are trying to find new ways to try to encourage people to keep their homes secure.
“We do not want to create an atmosphere of fear, but it is important people know most burglars get in through open windows and doors.”
Unfortunately, the police did not realise they had no power of entry without an invitation or warrant and could be sued for trespass by the occupants of the houses they illegally entered.
Police say they won’t enter homes without permission again
The burglary blitz followed a series of real-life crimes at student properties in St Jame’s, Exeter, and area with lots of HMO houses catering for the local university.
A Devon and Cornwall Police spokesman said: “This was carried out with the best of intentions. We do accept that entering properties to leave the bags could be deemed as trespass. This was a one-off that we will not be repeating.”
Burglary, the offence the police were trying to highlight, is when a person dishonestly enters a building without permission with intent to steal or commit a serious criminal offence or commits a theft.
Because the police officers had no dishonest intent, they cannot be accused of burglary, but they still entered property without permission, which could be construed as a civil offence of trespass.
