At the moment police can usually only arrest people for crimes for which they would receive a jail term of at least five years if they got found guilty.

But new plans revealed by the government would mean police would be allowed to arrest anyone who is breaking the law.

They say this would make the law a lot clearer and easier to follow.

Drug tests

The government is also thinking about letting police test anyone they arrest for drugs.

And it's looking into ways to make it easier for the police to search anyone they suspect is committing a crime.

But people from the group Liberty, who fight for people's rights, are not happy with the plans.