Tag: arrest

An arrest is the act of apprehending a person and taking them into custody, usually because they have been suspected of committing or planning a crime.

In some places, a citizen’s arrest is permitted; for example in England and Wales, any person can arrest “anyone whom he has reasonable grounds for suspecting to be committing, have committed or be guilty of committing an indictable offence,” although certain conditions must be met before taking such action.Similar powers exist in France, Italy, Germany, Austria and Switzerland if a person is caught in an act of crime and not willing or able to produce valid ID.

As a safeguard against the abuse of power, many countries require that an arrest must be made for a thoroughly justified reason, such as the requirement of probable cause in the United States.