Section 59Part 4 — Powers, Duties and Privileges of Police Officers
General arrest conditions
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59. (1) Where a police officer has reasonable grounds for suspecting that any offence which is not an arrestable offence has been committed or attempted, or is being committed or attempted, the police officer may arrest the relevant person if it appears to that police officer that service of a summons is impracticable or inappropriate because any of the general arrest conditions is satisfied.
In this section “the relevant person” means any person whom the officer has reasonable grounds to suspect of having committed or having attempted to commit the offence or of being in the course of committing or attempting to commit it.
The general arrest conditions are —
that the name of the relevant person is unknown to, and cannot be readily ascertained by, the police officer;
that the police officer has reasonable grounds for doubting whether the name furnished by the relevant person as that person’s name is their real name;
that —
the relevant person has failed to furnish a satisfactory address for service; or address furnished by the relevant person is a satisfactory address for service; Section 60 Police Act (2021 Revision) Page 52 Revised as at 31st December, 2020 c
the police officer has reasonable grounds for doubting whether an
that the police officer has reasonable grounds for believing that arrest is necessary to prevent the relevant person —
causing physical injury to themselves or any other person;
suffering physical injury;
causing loss of or damage to property;
committing an offence against public decency; or
causing an unlawful obstruction of the road; or
that the police officer has reasonable grounds for believing that arrest is necessary to protect a child or other vulnerable person from the relevant person.
For the purposes of subsection (3) an address is a satisfactory address for service if it appears to the police officer —
that the relevant person will be at it for a sufficiently long period for it to be possible to serve that person with a summons; or
that some other person specified by the relevant person will accept service of a summons for the relevant person at it.
Nothing in paragraph (d) of subsection (3) authorises the arrest of a person under subparagraph (iv) of that paragraph except where members of the public going about their normal business cannot reasonably be expected to avoid the person to be arrested.
This section shall not prejudice any power of arrest conferred apart from this section.