Citizen's Arrest

Citizen's Arrest

Citizen's arrest originated in Medieval England when there was no police force and it was everyone's duty to assist in chasing criminals. These powers are now set out in the Criminal Code. Anyone who owns or lawfully possesses property may arrest someone found committing a crime on or in relation to that property, eg, a farmer may arrest someone stealing his tractor. Secondly, anyone may arrest a person found in the act of committing a serious (indictable) offence or escaping from the police after committing a crime. In all cases, the arrested person must be delivered immediately to a police officer.