Voluntary attendance at police station etc
Part III Arrest
Where for the purpose of assisting with an investigation a person attends voluntarily at a police station or at any other place where a constable is present or accompanies a constable to a police station or any such other place without having been arrested—
(a)he shall be entitled to leave at will unless he is placed under arrest;
(b)he shall be informed at once that he is under arrest if a decision is taken by a constable to prevent him from leaving at will.
Section 29 confirms that a person who has attended voluntarily or accompanied a constable without arrest may leave at will. Preventing departure requires an arrest and notification of its grounds, supporting the conclusion that there is no broad police power of detention without arrest (see paras [14]; [15]).
The court confirms that voluntary attendance permits the person to leave unless arrested, supporting the conclusion that an interview could initially have proceeded voluntarily. (see paras [14], [19], [47], [49])
Confirms that a voluntary attender may leave at will unless arrested. The provision did not require arrest merely because the claimant could theoretically leave during interview (see paras [22], [54]-[55], [67]).
What each judgment says about section 29 is in the case-law panel in the full Act.