Editing Arrest (section)

{{redirect|Nicked|the name|Nick (disambiguation)}}
{{redirect2|Arrested|Arresting|other uses|Arrest (disambiguation)}}
{{Short description|Law enforcement action}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}

[[File:ICE.XCheckII.3cops1arrest.jpg|thumb|right|A man arrested by [[U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement]] (ICE) agents in ''[[Operation Cross Check]]'']]
[[File:Kidnappers arrested Rio.jpg|thumb|Arrested [[kidnapper]]s in [[Rio de Janeiro]], [[Brazil]] lying on the ground]]
[[File:American Airborne Soldier arresting an Iraqi suspect.jpg|thumb|right|A [[United States Army]] soldier arrests a man in June 2007, during the [[Iraq War]].]]
An '''arrest''' is the act of apprehending and taking a person into custody (legal protection or control), usually because the person has been suspected of or observed committing a [[crime]]. After being taken into custody, the person can be [[Interrogation|questioned further]] or [[Criminal charge|charged]]. An arrest is a procedure in a [[Criminal justice|criminal justice system]], sometimes it is also done after a [[Arrest warrant|court warrant for the arrest]].

[[Police]] and various other officers have [[power of arrest|powers of arrest]]. 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 [[Guilt (law)|committed or be guilty]] of committing an [[indictable offence]]", although certain conditions must be met before taking such action.<ref>{{cite web|date=5 August 2012|title=Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984|url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1984/60/section/24A|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120805174930/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1984/60/section/24A|archive-date=5 August 2012|website=archive.vn}}</ref> 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 [[Identity document|ID]].

As a safeguard against the [[Legal abuse|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. Furthermore, in most democracies, the time that a person can be detained in custody is relatively short (in most cases 24 hours in the United Kingdom and 24 or 48 hours in the United States and France) before the detained person must be either [[Criminal charge|charged]] or released.