What is the difference between ‘arrested’ and ‘detained’?

(Avinash Goyal, Ghaziabad)

When a policeman arrests someone, he is levelling a charge against the individual. The officer is accusing the individual of having committed a crime. In order to arrest someone, a policeman usually requires a warrant. When the police ‘detains’ someone, they are merely forcing him to stay. In this case, the individual hasn’t been charged with a crime: he hasn’t been arrested as yet. If the policeman feels that the person has information regarding a crime, he may choose to ‘detain’ him. It doesn’t mean he thinks that the person is guilty of a crime. Both the guilty and the innocent can be detained.

*The minister was detained for questioning.

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