Criminal Law Act 1967

Arrest without warrant.	2. — (1) The powers of summary arrest conferred by the following subsections shall apply to offences for which the sentence is fixed by law or for which a person (not previously convicted) may under or by virtue of any enactment be sentenced to imprisonment for a term of five years (or might be so sentenced but for the restrictions imposed by section 33 of the Magistrates' Courts Act 1980)] and to attempts to commit any such offence; and in this Act, including any amendment made by this Act in any other enactment, “arrestable offence” means any such offence or attempt.
	[The said restrictions are those which apply where, in pursuance of subsection (2) of section 22 of the said Act of 1980](certain offences to be tried summarily if value involved is small) a magistrates’ court summarily convicts a person of a scheduled offence within the meaning of [the said section 22].
	(2) Any person may arrest without warrant anyone who is, or whom he, with reasonable cause, suspects to be, in the act of committing an arrestable offence.
	(3) Where an arrestable offence has been committed, any person may arrest without warrant anyone who is, or whom he, with reasonable cause, suspects to be, guilty of the offence.
	(4) Where a constable, with reasonable cause, suspects that an arrestable offence has been committed, he may arrest without warrant anyone whom he, with reasonable cause, suspects to be guilty of the offence.
	(5) A constable may arrest without warrant any person who is, or whom he, with reasonable cause, suspects to be, about to commit an arrestable offence.
	(6) For the purpose of arresting a person under any power conferred by this section a constable may enter (if need be, by force) and search any place where that person is or where the constable, with reasonable cause, suspects him to be.
	(7) This section shall not . . . prejudice any power of arrest conferred by law apart from this section.]
Textual Amendments	S. 2 repealed (E.W.) by Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (c. 60, SIF 95), s. 119(2), Sch. 7 Pt. I
	Criminal Law Act 1977, s. 65(7), Sch. 12
	Magistrates' Courts Act 1980, Sch. 7 para. 61
	Criminal Law Act 1977, s. 65(7), Sch. 12
	Magistrates' Courts Act 1980, Sch. 7 para. 61
	Magistrates' Courts Act 1980, Sch. 7 para. 61
	Criminal Jurisdiction Act 1975, Sch. 6 Pt. I
Other Modifications	S. 2 extended by Theft Act 1968, s. 12(3)

Use of force in making arrest, etc.	3. — (1) A person may use such force as is reasonable in the circumstances in the prevention of crime, or in effecting or assisting in the lawful arrest of offenders or suspected offenders or of persons unlawfully at large.
	(2) Subsection (1) above shall replace the rules of the common law on the question when force used for a purpose mentioned in the subsection is justified by that purpose.
Penalties for assisting offenders.	4.— (1) Where a person has committed an arrestable offence, any other person who, knowing or believing him to be guilty of the offence or of some other arrestable offence, does without lawful authority or reasonable excuse any act with intent to impede his apprehension or prosecution shall be guilty of an offence.
	(1A) In this section and section 5 below “arrestable offence” has the meaning assigned to it by section 24 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984.
	(2) If on the trial of an indictment for an arrestable offence the jury are satisfied that the offence charged (or some other offence of which the accused might on that charge be found guilty) was committed, but find the accused not guilty of it, they may find him guilty of any offence under subsection (1) above of which they are satisfied that he is guilty in relation to the offence charged (or that other offence).
	(3) A person committing an offence under subsection (1) above with intent to impede another person’s apprehension or prosecution shall on conviction on indictment be liable to imprisonment according to the gravity of the other person’s offence, as follows:— (a) if that offence is one for which the sentence is fixed by law, he shall be liable to imprisonment for not more than ten years;
	(b) if it is one for which a person (not previously convicted) may be sentenced to imprisonment for a term of fourteen years, he shall be liable to imprisonment for not more than seven years;
	(c) if it is not one included above but is one for which a person (not previously convicted) may be sentenced to imprisonment for a term of ten years, he shall be liable to imprisonment for not more than five years;
	(d) in any other case, he shall be liable to imprisonment for not more than three years.
	(4) No proceedings shall be instituted for an offence under subsection (1) above except by or with the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions:
	(5) ...
	(6) ...
	(7) ...

Trial of offences	6. — (1) Where a person is arraigned on an indictment—
	(a) he shall in all cases be entitled to make a plea of not guilty in addition to any demurrer or special plea;
	(b) he may plead not guilty of the offence specifically charged in the indictment but guilty of another offence of which he might be found guilty on that indictment;
	(c) if he stands mute of malice or will not answer directly to the indictment, the court may order a plea of not guilty to be entered on his behalf, and he shall then be treated as having pleaded not guilty.
	(2) On an indictment for murder a person found not guilty of murder may be found guilty—
	(a) of manslaughter, or of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to do so; or
	(b) of any offence of which he may be found guilty under an enactment specifically so providing, or under section 4(2) of this Act; or
	(c) of an attempt to commit murder, or of an attempt to commit any other offence of which he might be found guilty;
	but may not be found guilty of any offence not included above.
	(3) Where, on a person’s trial on indictment for any offence except treason or murder, the jury find him not guilty of the offence specifically charged in the indictment, but the allegations in the indictment amount to or include (expressly or by implication) an allegation of another offence falling within the jurisdiction of the court of trial, the jury may find him guilty of that other offence or of an offence of which he could be found guilty on an indictment specifically charging that other offence.
	(4) For purposes of subsection (3) above any allegation of an offence shall be taken as including an allegation of attempting to commit that offence; and where a person is charged on indictment with attempting to commit an offence or with any assault or other act preliminary to an offence, but not with the completed offence, then (subject to the discretion of the court to discharge the jury with a view to the preferment of an indictment for the completed offence) he may be convicted of the offence charged notwithstanding that he is shown to be guilty of the completed offence.
	(5) Where a person arraigned on an indictment pleads not guilty of an offence charged in the indictment but guilty of some other offence of which he might be found guilty on that charge, and he is convicted on that plea of guilty without trial for the offence of which he has pleaded not guilty, then (whether or not the two offences are separately charged in distinct counts) his conviction of the one offence shall be an acquittal of the other.
	(6) Any power to bring proceedings for an offence by criminal information in the High Court is hereby abolished.
	(7) Subsections (1) to (3) above shall apply to an indictment containing more than one count as if each count were a separate indictment.