1998/99 Legislative Session: 3rd Session, 36th Parliament
FIRST READING
The following electronic version is for informational purposes only.
The printed version remains the official version.
MS. STEPHENS
Her majesty, by and with the consent of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, enacts as follows:
1 (1) In this Act,
(a) "child" means a person under the age of 16 years;
(b) "court" means the Provincial Court;
(c) "director" means a director under the Child, Family and Community Services Act;
(d) "guardian" means guardian as defined in the Child, Family and Community Services Act;
(e) "Minister" means the Minister designated with the responsibility for the Child, Family and Community Services Act;
(f) "Police officer" means a member of a police service under the Police Act and includes a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police;
(g) "protective safe house" means premises prescribed by the Minister as a protective safe house;
(2) For the purposes of this Act a child is in need of protection if the child is engaging in prostitution or attempting to engage in prostitution.
2 (1) If a police officer or director believes on reasonable and probable grounds that a person is a child and is in need of protection, the police officer or director may apply to a judge of the Court or a justice of the peace for an order
(a) authorizing the police officer or director to apprehend and convey the child to the child's guardian or to an adult who in the opinion of the police officer is a responsible adult who has care and control of the child, or
(b) authorizing the police officer or director to apprehend and convey the child to a protective safe house and authorizing a director to confine the child for up to 72 hours to ensure the safety of the child and to access the child,
and if the judge of the Court or justice of the peace is satisfied that the child may be found in a place or premises, the judge of the Court or justice of the peace may authorize the police officer or director to enter, by force if necessary, that place or premises to search for and apprehend the child.
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