The law in our hands: what are citizen’s arrests, and how could they shape the future of corporate accountability?

The law in our hands: what are citizen’s arrests, and how could they shape the future of corporate accountability?

In March 2025 eight executives of six major energy and water companies encountered a serious surprise on their way to work. As they arrived at their company offices in London, the senior members of staff from Thames Water, Enquest, Perenco, among others, were approached by members of the Citizen’s Arrest Network (CAN) and put under citizen’s arrests.  The executives’ reactions were mixed: though all looked bemused, their responses varied from ‘O…