APOLOGY A GOOD START

It's tough to express outrage when you're beaten to the punch by those
with a much more urgent interest. The wrongful raid of a Saanich home
is the kind of stuff that boils the blood of civil libertarians. Yet
even the B.C. Civil Liberties Society says Saanich cops are doing the
right thing by taking full responsibility for their mistake.

On May 16, based on evidence that included the word of a trusted
informant, police forcibly entered a home on Regina Avenue. The couple
inside, along with one of their daughters, was handcuffed and taken
into custody at Saanich's police station.

The informant apparently convinced police that the home concealed a
lab used to create meth, a type of illicit drug said to be a scourge
of the streets.

It was the first use of the region's Emergency Response Team in
Saanich in recent memory. It also marked the first time a search
warrant resulted in such a grievous mistake.

The error caused unimaginable fear and embarrassment for members of
the innocent family who suddenly found themselves spending a Friday
night in handcuffs.

The family, which did nothing to deserve such treatment, was
understandably upset. That's a good thing. One of the measures of a
healthy society is the freedom individuals have to express themselves
against the state. In this case, the family has stood up for itself
and demanded answers.

That response, in some ways, is a good measure for how much louder we
should expect the outcry if a similar error ever happens again.

Some of the answers to what went wrong could come from the search
warrant. It remains sealed for now but let's hope its content is made
public. That's the only way to assure the public there isn't more to
this mistake than we're being told.

The police, for their part, have promised to do whatever they can to
make things right. Damage done during the forcibly entry will be
repaired. Curious neighbours were reassured they have nothing to fear
from the home or its family. A public apology was delivered to the
media outlining the error. Again, it was type of response people in
this country expect from authorities when they mess up.

Common sense says mistakes will happen. A diligent public can do its
part to make sure errors of this nature continue to be rare
exceptions.