You are allowed to use force to stop someone from hurting themselves or others. You can use force to prevent someone from committing a crime that would cause serious harm to people or property. You can also use force if you believe someone is about to do something that would be a crime or would hurt themselves.

You can use the amount of force that is reasonably necessary to stop these things from happening. This means you should only use as much force as you need to prevent harm. This section is subject to section 37 of the End of Life Choice Act 2019.

You need to remember that you must have good reasons to believe that someone is about to commit a crime or hurt themselves before you use force. You should think carefully before using force to make sure you are doing the right thing. The law is in place to help keep people safe.