A citizen's arrest can be made when a member of the public
witnesses a crime occurring and no police officer is available to
apprehend the offender.
In Victoria, this power can be found in section 458 of the
Crimes Act 1958 (Vic).
The beginning of what is known as a citizen's arrest is said
to have commenced in medieval England, where members of
the community were encouraged by the authorities to detain alleged
offenders.
Other sources however claim this concept began in America during
the Civil War.
In England, citizens of England were permitted to effect a
citizen's arrest. Subsequently, it became simply residents and
now that is how it is generally accepted.
In England and Wales, the term 'citizen's
arrest' was replaced with what is called an 'any
person arrest', which is governed by section 24A (2)
of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984.
