Special police usually describes a law enforcement agency or unit within such an agency whose duties and responsibilities are significantly different from other forces in the same nation, jurisdiction, or from other personnel within the same agency, although there is no consistent international definition. Generally, special police personnel hold some level of police powers; sometimes they hold the same powers and authority of other law enforcement officers within their jurisdiction, more rarely they will have no powers beyond that of the average citizen, but at a minimum they will typically possess enhanced detainment and arrest authority. 'Special police' may also be used to describe individuals who are granted police powers incidental to their primary duties, such as welfare fraud investigators, certain security guards, child welfare investigators, and agricultural inspectors, among others. Special police personnel may work for governmental, public, or private entities. Special police personnel may be armed or unarmed.
'Special police' is also occasionally used when referring to an 'elite' law enforcement agency or unit, such as special weapons and tactics (SWAT) units or other similar paramilitary forces who have some level of police powers.
Canada
"Special police" is not a term used in Canada, but specialized police agencies exist in Alberta, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and Ontario. Canada also makes use of special constables, a similar concept to "special police".
In Alberta, special police forces can be maintained by transit authorities and universities and are usually referred to as protective services. Protective services are staffed by unarmed community peace officers who have law enforcement powers but cannot enforce criminal legislation.
In British Columbia, any provincially-approved entity or First Nation can establish a designated policing unit (DPU) to supplement "the policing and law enforcement otherwise provided by the provincial police force or a municipal police department." Although officers of a DPU are armed police officers with the same authority as any other municipal police officer, designated policing units must comply with stricter regulations compared to municipal police services and are led by a Chief Officer, who has less authority over their staff than an ordinary police chief. As of 2022, there are three designated policing units in the province: the Metro Vancouver Transit Police, which provides police services to TransLink, the regional transit provider in the Vancouver metropolitan area; the Organized Crime Agency of British Columbia, which is responsible for investigating and prosecuting organized crime rings; and the Stlʼatlʼimx Tribal Police Service, which serves ten St'at'imc communities in the northern end of the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District.
There is one special police force in Nova Scotia, the Halifax-Dartmouth Bridge Commission Bridge Patrol. The Patrol is composed of special constables with limited police authority to enforce traffic violations on or near Bridge Commission property.
In Ontario, any organization can request the authority to raise a special constabulary from the local police services board. With some exceptions, officers employed by special constabularies do not carry guns and cannot refer to themselves as police. In general, special constables in Ontario employed by special constabularies have full police powers — including the ability to enforce the Criminal Code — but only on, between, or in relation to property owned by the organization that is responsible for the special constabulary. As of 2022, there is one special constabulary with armed employees, the Niagara Parks Police Service, which is responsible for providing police services to property owned or maintained by the Niagara Parks Commission. Special constabularies are also maintained by universities, transit systems, and public housing authorities.
Former Yugoslavia
The Special Police were a branch of the Regular Police who were used for restoring peace and stability if it had been heavily disturbed, counter-terrorism, countering violent groups, and repressing riots (especially in prisons). The Special Police also provided security and public peace, investigated and prevented organized crime, terrorism and other violent groups; protected state and private property; and helped and assisted civilians and other emergency forces in cases of emergency, natural disasters, civil unrest and armed conflicts.
Greece The term "Special (Police) Guards" () describes a special class of police personnel, employed on a 5-year contract to supplement regular police officers. The idea for the creation of the category is attributed to Michalis Chrisochoidis and Chief Ioannis Georgakopoulos and was realised in 1999. Special Guards number 2,000 out of the 65,000-strong force.
Indonesia Special police in Indonesia, locally known as , refer to law enforcement agencies outside the Indonesian National Police. These law enforcement agencies are under supervision and are trained by the National Police. They include the Agricultural and Animal Quarantine Police, Forestry Police, Municipal Police, Prison Police, Railroad Police and Special Police for Management of Marine, Coastal Region and Remote Islands.
The Indonesian National Police also have their own special police unit, the POLSUSPAS (Police Special Penitentiary). It is a Special Police Corps (Special Police) as well as ASN (Civil Servants) under the Ministry of Law and Human Rights. It is tasked with supervising, coaching, security and safety for convicts and detainees.
New Zealand Aside from the New Zealand Police, special powers are derived in legislation for customs officers, Fisheries Officers, and Fire Police. The Fire Police hold the full legal powers of a Police Constable when on official duty; Customs Officers, Fishery Officers, and Aviation Security Officers have limited powers (including the power to arrest or detain) in particular circumstances.
Northern Cyprus
TRNC Special Operation Department
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, special police force has a special meaning in law and describes one of the forces defined as such in legislation including:
Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 Police, Public Order and Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2006 Police and Justice Act 2006
These are managed by government departments other than the Home Office, and have duties and responsibilities associated with particular legal or illegal activities rather than the geographical areas which are served by a single territorial police force.
There are three such forces: British Transport Police: Responsible for policing the rail network in Great Britain. Civil Nuclear Constabulary: Non-military nuclear installations and non-military nuclear material in transit. Ministry of Defence Police: Ministry of Defence property, personnel, other defence interests, UK nuclear weapons and special nuclear materials.
The National Crime Agency (whose full powers are limited to England and Wales) is not a police force but an agency responsible "to the Home Secretary and, through the Home Secretary, to Parliament." The NCA has the power to direct police forces within England and Wales, and the British Transport Police, to provide officers or undertake specific activities. Within Scotland and Northern Ireland, however, the power to direct assistance is limited to reflect the devolved administration of policing. The NCA enabling legislation does not allow the Home Secretary to give "directed tasking arrangements" to Scottish or Northern Irish police forces. NCA officers can be 'triple warranted' – with powers of a police officer, immigration officer and customs officer.
United States Within the United States, 'special police' may refer to: Auxiliary, reserve, or special police; members of volunteer, unpaid or paid, part-time unit of a larger, full-service law enforcement agency (such as the NYPD Auxiliary) Company or private police (see private policing in the United States) Fire police Security police or private security officers granted law enforcement authority State- or jurisdiction-specific variations of "special police officer", such as Massachusetts' "Special State Police Officer", or Kentucky and New Jersey's "Special Law Enforcement Officer"
While no single definition of "special police" prevails across the United States, it is typically understood to mean either a law enforcement agency working for a unique jurisdiction (such as a hospital or park) or a law enforcement officer whose authority, training, and experience may differ somewhat from a "regular" law enforcement officer (LEO).
The term can also refer to limited police power granted in some jurisdictions to lifeguards, SPCA personnel, teachers, and other public sector employees which is incidental to their main responsibilities.
The specific powers granted to special police officers vary widely from state to states and sometimes within a single state. Some states, such as Maryland, New York, and the District of Columbia, grant full police/peace officer authority to SPOs for use in whatever area they are employed to protect. They may make traffic stops in their jurisdiction if they have had accredited training. They are also permitted to conduct traffic control and investigations pertaining to the area protected by them.
In some jurisdictions, SPOs may be granted only limited arrest authority in specific circumstances, while in still other jurisdictions, SPOs are granted no more authority than an otherwise private citizen could exercise in effecting a citizen's arrest. Many jurisdictions permit SPOs to carry a firearm (some even while off-duty, with some SPOs being covered under LEOSA), but some are not permitted to do so. Even in the latter case, however, they are typically permitted to carry at least OC spray (pepper spray), a baton, and/or handcuffs.
Some SPOs are permitted to conduct traffic stops. In these cases, the SPOs typically (although not always) hold "full" police powers. SPOs that are primarily responsible for law enforcement in a given jurisdiction (such as hospital or campus police) are more likely to hold this authority than, for example, an SPO working for a municipality's law enforcement agency as an auxiliary law enforcement officer.
Uniforms of SPOs also vary widely. SPOs that hold no or limited police authority are typically uniformed in a manner that makes it immediately apparent that they are not "regular" law enforcement. This may range from distinctly different color uniforms than what local regular LEOs wear to some sort of patch or badge clearly identifying them as "special", "reserve", or "auxiliary" LEOs. SPOs whom hold "full" law enforcement authority typically wear uniforms that are similar to other local LEOs. While individual departments are usually given a wide latitude in the wear of their uniforms, some states have specific laws, codes, or regulations that require special police to be clearly identified as such.
California The San Francisco Patrol Special Police is a neighborhood police force authorized in the City Charter, with officers appointed and regulated by the Police Commission after an initial security review by the San Francisco Police Department. Hourly rates for service are principally paid by private clients, with some cost to the city for general program administration concerning standards of professional performance, but not concerning day-to-day operations. Thus, the nature of this special police force is both quasi-private and quasi-public. The force has been in operation in the United States, city of San Francisco for over 162 years. By current City Code the force provides patrols on the streets of San Francisco as well as at fixed locations, and also provides a range of other safety services as requested by private clients.
Kentucky