A man in Canada claims he's the real life Batman, and has been fighting crime on behalf of civilians as the caped crusader.

Speaking on Moncrieff, Stephen Lawrence has a normal day-job but earned the nickname Batman in high-school when he caught a criminal on a Canada-wide warrant for his arrest.

"This was something that became inherent for me as I was a martial arts student as a young child," he explained. "So I got involved [...] He was a part of a big fraud ring in Vancouver."

When asked if he was afraid, the ninjitsu expert said he was more concerned about "doing the right thing".

Mr Lawrence started wearing a batsuit shortly after this following the death of his father. 

"I did keep it a secret [...] I didn't want to be judged adversely. The reason why i came out in Brampton four years ago was none other than the Batmobile."

"It isn't difficult to get parking"

Mr Lawrence drives an exact replica of the Batmobile in the Southern Ontario city, and said buying the vehicle crossed something off his bucket list.

"It isn't difficult to get parking. I don't park near anyone else. It's a very large vehicle. It takes some practise on driving it," he said, comparing it to a forklift.

On the suit, Mr Lawrence said he doesn't find the weight having much of a bearing on his crime fighting duties.

"In the beginning of the patrols, I never thought of the weight," he said. "it was just simply an extension of not only who I am, but what I'm doing.

"Once news started to catch on about me, some of my colleagues started to joke with me and ask me how heavy it is. So I weighed it, and it's 32 lbs."

Mr Lawrence patrols all of Brampton every night. Initially, he did the patrols on foot but he now uses the Batmobile to get around.

Police reaction

The police in Brampton and Mr Lawrence maintain a healthy relationship.

"Something as serious as the relationship between local law enforcement and the public is something I take very seriously, growing up and as an adult," Mr Lawrence said.

When it comes to his behaviour, he doesn't describe it as being a heroic - just being a good citizen. 

"I don't profess myself to be the toughest guy on the streets - these kind of things will get you the wrong kind of attention.

"While I'm out there, the absolute worst that I'll run into is those that are absolute inebriated drunk."

Why didn't he come a police officer? He offered a simple explanation:

"The reason why i never though of doing that with any kind of seriousness was to do that and to put my life on the line as a job is a different story. In short, if I had more awareness or training, it would've happened. It doesn't mean it still couldn't happen now."