Police arrested the man after they were called to the Marketown shopping centre about 5.10pm.

Initial reports indicated a child had been approached.

"Police have been told an unknown man approached a father and his two-year-old son inside the shopping centre and allegedly asked if he could talk to the child, before he started to hug him and pull him away from his father," police said in a statement.

"The father, aged 46, pulled the child back from the man, before the man allegedly became aggressive and continued to grab the child."

Members of the public intervened and the child was returned to his father. They were not physically injured.

Bystanders secured the man until police arrived.

Officers arrested the 46-year-old and charged him with two counts of take or detain child with intent to remove from parental control and two counts of common assault.

He was refused bail to face court on Monday.