Get off my land!

Last year on The Great Canadian Talk Show, we read out what you as a citizen can do to protect you, and your property. Yes, it is hard to believe that we here in Canada do have citizen arrest powers. I figured since spring has sprung, and the criminals are on defrost, it might be a good idea to post what you have the right to do to protect yourself, your family and your property.

This is a direct copy and paste for the criminal code;

Arrest without Warrant and Release from Custody Arrest without warrant by any person 494.
(1) Any one may arrest without warrant

(a) a person whom he finds committing an indictable offence; or
(b) a person who, on reasonable grounds, he believes

(i) has committed a criminal offence, and
(ii) is escaping from and freshly pursued by persons who have lawful authority to arrest that person. Arrest by owner, etc., of property

(2) Any one who is

(a) the owner or a person in lawful possession of property, or
(b) a person authorized by the owner or by a person in lawful possession of property, may arrest without warrant a person whom he finds committing a criminal offence on or in relation to that property. Delivery to peace officer

(3) Any one other than a peace officer who arrests a person without warrant shall forthwith deliver the person to a peace officer.

R.S., c. C-34, s. 449; R.S., c. 2(2nd Supp.), s. 5.

Please don’t take this as inciting vigilantism, because its not, and I think the people that read this blog are smart enough to figure this out. But I do think that we in the community need to know our rights. The police readily believe that it is our responsibility to protect our cars with immobilizers, but then also tell us that we shouldn’t intervene when a crime is happening, just report it, even though we hear story after story about the police not showing up for hours, even when citizens are detaining would-be car thieves.
These are your rights, this is what you can do, and this is what our laws in the country allow you to do.