I agree bw. Mike & bear seem to think if you say something to a police officer that he doesn't like, even if you are legally correct you can expect to have your doors broken down, your dog shot and you and occupants of you home detained for 14 hours. That is just not right and it reflects badly on Belize in most free countries.

Police ask to enter John's home. He declined to let them. Nothing illegal there. If it was the police would have demanded entry right then and there. Police show up in force, break down doors, shoot dog and detain occupants. Police find nothing except disputed paperwork on one of 14 firearms. Police file no charges. Maybe this was done without warrant because they suspected illegal firearms? Well they need to tell us just why they suspected illegal firearms to put us all at ease because the way it stands now it looks very heavy handed and should not be tolerated in a free democratic country like Belize. If the message is let us enter any home that we chose for any reason well they are getting that across.

This has nothing to do with legal technicalities of other countries. It has to do with what kind of a country Belize is. Basic human rights of persons living in a country should include not living in fear of their government or police when they are law abiding.

Jim
Formerly from somewhere on a beach in Belize