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How much leeway do we have with Canada’s new citizen’s arrest laws?

Fancy new citizen’s arrest laws are being heralded into action this week, seemingly intent on giving citizens and store owners more leeway when it comes to protecting themselves and their property.

The "Lucky Moose Bill" came into effect on Monday, introducing stronger citizen's arrest powers. It was inspired by David Chen, a Toronto store owner who physically detained a repeat shoplifter until police arrived.

But what does it all mean? Aside from prompting a wave of storekeepers to work on their Dirty Harry impressions, not as much as you might expect.

Your rights as a landowner hasn't changed one shred, and you are still not allowed to go after a criminal with guns blazing, like a low-budget version of Mel Gibson or Bruce Willis.

In essence, citizens are only allowed to do what police can do when police are not there to do it themselves. And they can’t do it with any more force than police are allowed to use.

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Here's how it changes the Citizen’s Arrest and Self-defence Act.

Then: A citizen's arrest could occur if the perpetrator was found committing a crime.

Now: A citizen's arrest can now be executed if it occurs "within a reasonable time" of the offence being committed. The arrest will only be authorized if it reasonable to believe the arrest cannot be made by an actual police officer.

The Department of Justice notes that arrests that do not occur immediately after a crime is committed will face added scrutiny over the identity of the suspect.

Then: A citizen could use force to defend himself or herself under a variety of specific self-defence laws.

Now: Those have been simplified into one catchall rule. A citizen can defend himself or herself with force if they reasonably believe themselves, others or their property to be at risk.

One key thing that hasn't changed is the amount of force a person can use: only what is necessary. You can chase a mugger, but you can't pummel him upon capture.

And it goes without saying that lethal force is still highly frowned upon.

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What is different is the level of chronological leeway one has to execute a citizen's arrest. The amount of time between crime and capture that is considered reasonable will be decided on a case-by-case basis, although the Globe and Mail reports the Canadian Civil Liberties Association wants the window to close at 24 hours.

And you had better be damn sure you are making a legitimate citizen's arrest. Because the line between arrest and assault is still razor thin. Not only that, but the Department of Justice points out that trying to arrest the wrong person could end up being dangerous, even fatal.

Another warning from the Department of Justice reads:

A citizen's arrest is a very serious and potentially dangerous undertaking. Unlike a police officer, private citizens are neither tasked with the duty to preserve and maintain public peace, nor properly trained to apprehend suspected criminals. Exercise extreme caution when attempting to make a citizen's arrest.

So, what we have here is a slight change to Canada’s citizen’s arrest laws that legalizes dangerous captures that, albeit fraught with peril, could result of injury, death or charges of assault.

The good news is that citizen’s arrests are rare. The better news is that these changes are not likely to increase their frequency. The best news is that, if a crime is committed, you are still legally allowed to call the police.