Arrestable Offense Law and Legal Definition
Arrestable Offense as used in English law refers to an offense for which the punishment is fixed by law or for which a statute authorizes imprisonment for five years. It can also be an attempt to commit such an offense. No arrest warrant is required to arrest a person who is accused or suspected of, or is about to commit, an arrestable offense. This statutory category was created in 1967 and it abolished the traditional distinction between felonies and misdemeanors. However in England & Wales, the category arrestable offence ceased to exist with the advent of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act.
