Honestly, I think that, when citizens act this way, they are not thinking about the exception in the act; they are acting because they are the victims of a situation. Our fear with regard to this provision concerns the reference to a reasonable time. What is a reasonable time? Here I have heard people suggest one hour, half an hour and so on. The truth is that a reasonable time is not defined and that it will be a case-by-case matter. In our opinion, that expression and that reality could cause some problems.
It is not the interpretation of the act that is causing a problem. There was an unfortunate case, which was resolved in a positive manner. Our fear is that, by introducing the idea of reasonable time, we are straying from the moment at which the offence is committed, introducing subjective elements and elements that may unfortunately give rise to situations that were not anticipated or desired by anyone.