R. v. Boyd, 2013 BCCA 19 has an interesting aside about citizen’s arrests:
The law has always sought to circumscribe within very narrow limits the powers of a citizen to effect an arrest. It is a species of self help and … a fertile source of breaches of the peace.
The law has always tried to circumscribe the little people from taking part in the enforcement or adjudication of the law. You can't defend yourself, you can't arrest a criminal, and you can't reasonably represent yourself in court. The law is kept complicated and inscrutable for the benefit of lawyers.
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