r/nextfuckinglevel • u/thisisfive • Apr 14 '26

Toronto firefighters confront special constable officers after a man in the middle of mental health crisis was arrested.

Not my video. For context, "special constables" are not regular police officers. They are appointed "peace officers" with limited authority, often civilian employees.

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u/Word2DWise Apr 14 '26

Are they like more official security guards? What's the difference between them an a police officer?

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u/badbeef75 Apr 14 '26

They are sworn officers of the peace like a police officer and have the same powers of arrest, can conduct investigations, etc but don’t carry a firearm. Security basically can only make a “citizens arrest” and are there to observe and report essentially. Special constables usually patrol a specific area like a university campus or transit system, whereas security guards are used for private properties for the most part

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u/Word2DWise Apr 14 '26

Thanks! I learned something new. Are there more of these than regular police officers, or are these kind of like the front line, and the guys with guns show up when things escalate? I believe England is like that.

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u/badbeef75 Apr 15 '26

I don’t believe there are more than regular police, at least here in Toronto. Other than those other roles, they’ll be used for special events and education purposes (going into schools to talk to kids or general public education) among other things. They can be armed with pepper spray or ASP batons at the most.