Under PACE 1984, section 24(2), when may a constable arrest without warrant?

Under PACE 1984, section 24(2), when may a constable arrest without warrant?

• A. If he has reasonable grounds for suspecting that an offence has been committed
• B. If there is a warrant
• C. If the person confesses
• D. If there are no grounds to suspect

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is that a police officer can arrest someone without a warrant only when there are reasonable grounds to suspect that the person has committed an offence. This is an objective standard: the officer must have facts or information that a reasonable person would consider would lead to the belief that an offence has been committed, not just a hunch. This threshold protects individual rights while allowing prompt action to inquiry into possible wrongdoing. Warrants override this without-need rule, so having a warrant means the arrest doesn’t depend on those grounds. A confession by itself isn’t automatically enough to justify an arrest without a warrant—the grounds to suspect must exist first, though a voluntary confession can later support the basis for detention or further action. Finally, having no grounds to suspect means there’s no lawful basis to arrest without a warrant.

The main idea here is that a police officer can arrest someone without a warrant only when there are reasonable grounds to suspect that the person has committed an offence. This is an objective standard: the officer must have facts or information that a reasonable person would consider would lead to the belief that an offence has been committed, not just a hunch. This threshold protects individual rights while allowing prompt action to inquiry into possible wrongdoing.

Warrants override this without-need rule, so having a warrant means the arrest doesn’t depend on those grounds. A confession by itself isn’t automatically enough to justify an arrest without a warrant—the grounds to suspect must exist first, though a voluntary confession can later support the basis for detention or further action. Finally, having no grounds to suspect means there’s no lawful basis to arrest without a warrant.