The Specials provided police protection of a sort, but they were untrained for crowd control work or other specialized police procedures. On June 10, when a group of mounted Specials tried to disperse a crowd listening to a speaker on Main Street, a short riot ensued and one Special, Sgt. F. Coppins V.C. was unhorsed and badly beaten. Thereafter, the mounted detachment was disbanded and other Specials stayed as inconspicuous as possible.
