The STM inspectors have come under fire recently after a video showed two inspectors beating a man for allegedly not paying his fare and bouncing a ball on the metro. The video went viral. Since then, the man who was a victim to the "brutal beating" has come forward to denounce the aggression.
The STM released a press statement today saying that it is accelerating its enedeavours to give its inspectors "special constable" status. This would allegedly give the inspectors more power, but would also hold them more accountable.
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TL;DR The STM tweeted out that it is accelerating the process of giving its inspectors "special constable" status. Inspectors would be able to arrest individuals who have committed "indictable offenses" and hand them over to the police. This new status would also add a degree of accountability, the STM says.
The STM sent out this tweet on Wednesday afternoon:
Le conseil d’administration de la #STM a adopté une résolution ce soir afin que le directeur général accélère les démarches requises pour obtenir le statut de constables spéciaux pour ses inspecteurs.
Communiqué ➡️ https://t.co/Xkl07Ezk0Y
The press release states that the STM is taking steps to give its inspectors "special constable" status. The chairman of the STM, Philippe Schnobb, states that this measure is a necessary step towards better customer experience.
Amongst other things, this "special constable" status would impart tools that would allow inspectors to tow cars and arrest individuals who have committed "indictable offenses" and hand them over to the police.
The STM stated that with this power would also come greater accountability: inspectors would be held to police standards.
@stminfo
The press release states that, once the special status is given to inspectors, employees would undergo re-training.
The STM states clearly that they will not be giving firearms to officers. They also note that other cities like Toronto and Ottawa already have transit inspectors with "special constable" status.