Making a citizen's arrest - Myth and Reality

By Stacks / The Law firm

The recent sight of Northern Territory politician John Elferink trying to make a citizen's arrest during a television interview raises some interesting legal questions.

It just happens Mr Elferink is an ex-policeman with a law degree. So when a man wandered over from a nearby pub and kicked Elferink from behind while he was doing a TV interview, it brought out his judicial instincts.

He grabbed the man and told him he was making a citizen's arrest and would hold him till police arrived.

The man struggled until another man arrived and helped him escape. They ran off while the TV crew kept filming. What started out as a routine local Darwin story hit the national news.