Giving chase would have been legal - since he was guilty of burglary and was trying to abscond, they were entitled to arrest him under s.24A PACE. Arming themselves and attacking him were illegal, as you say. The Wikipedia account is broadly accurate (except that the phrase "without doubt" is not in the statute, but in terms of the practical effect it's approximately correct.)
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2009-12-21 06:13 pm (UTC)