I just had a vision of a dozen guys clad in paramilitary uniform, flak jackets and ammo belts kicking down doors, running into quiet houses at night and waking the women and kids up with a cacophony of swearing and a couple of taps with a rifle butt to get them outside, lined up shocked and shivering in their PJs, so they can search the house for ‘abusers’. It reminds me of something we’ve seen somewhere before.

A bit of an illogical argument this, on a few counts. One is that policemen can already enter private property – the whole ‘exigent circumstances’ argument. If a policeman believes that a serious crime is in progress, they can enter a house even by means of breaking doors or windows, to stop the crime and arrest the perpetrator. Another is that police will drop a case if the victim can’t or won’t testify – and this is often the case. I fail to see where these new, ‘improved’ powers will achieve anything other than open up a new entertainment of lawful breaking and entering for the police force. Also, when just nipping into your house for fun, when they find nothing, do they have to lock it up again? If not, they might as well just take the stuff before the skollies.

Looks like the ANC are determined to ape everything the U.S. Federal government enacts and does, despite ostensibly rejecting everything ‘Western’ as being inappropriate within the ‘African’ context.

Like here, there is the growing realisation, (unfortunately still, like here, by a minority), that civil liberties of the U.S. citizen are being eroded by the inexhorable growth of the Federal Police State.
There is the effective suspension of the constitutional ‘Posse Comitatus’ provisions forbidding military action againsed the civilian population, through the application of paramilitary ‘SWAT’ assult teams breaking down peoples doors in the dead of night, shooting (to kill) first and asking questions later in ‘No Knock’ raids.
These raids are executed against technical ‘victimless crimes’ most often involving drug possession or use.

Like has happened here, such heavy handed, violent and arbitary breach of our citizens basic rights has and will continue to lead to tragic consequences for innocent civilians.

A ruling freeing our Police ‘Services’ from any indemnity resulting from ‘entering private property without permission’ removes legal impediment to the development of similar brutal paramilitary No Knock raids, and does not bode well for the remaining freedoms which have not been encroached upon already.

It is the administration whose effectiveness and legitimacy is falling under question which starts ‘getting tough’ with its own constituents it is supposedly bound so ‘serve’