THUNDER BAY -- Anyone looking to make a citizen's arrest have to ask if it's worth the risk.
There are guidelines in place should a person need to detain someone but a lot of decisions need to be made quickly. Thunder Bay Police Service executive officer Chris Adams said those questions include what are the risks involved.
"And whether, most importantly, it's something that can be better dealt with by just calling police to come to the scene," Adams said.
Especially with property crime, Adams said it's usually better to let the person leave, get a good description and call police. But if a citizen's arrest is made, first and foremost the citizen needs to make sure they have the right person and call the police as soon as possible.
"If you make that decision you'd better get police on scene very quickly because you are not allowed to detain anyone for any unnecessary amount of time," he said.
While force can be used, it can't be excessive. That can be a fine line to walk when detaining someone. Making an arrest, a person has to assume the person doesn't want to be detained. Things can escalate quickly and the person trying to hold them is opening themself up to huge liability concerns along with possible injury.
"You yourself then could be in a position where you could be charged with a crime," Adams said.
"You don't know what that person that you're detaining is capable of doing. You're not allowed to search them you can only detain them," Adams said.
"But if that person has a weapon, a concealed weapon such as a knife, which we know is very common in this city. You are really taking a big risk."
More information can be found through the Department of Justice.
