Mounted police are police who patrol on horseback or camelback. Their day-to-day function is typically picturesque or ceremonial, but they are also employed in crowd control because of their mobile mass and height advantage and increasingly in the UK for crime prevention and high visibility policing roles. The added height and visibility that the horses give their riders allows officers to observe a wider area, and it also allows people in the wider area to see the officers, which helps deter crime and helps people find officers when they need them.[1] When employed for crowd control, there is a risk that some people may be trampled (resulting in injuries or death). Due to this, authoritarian regimes often use mounted police to supress protests, as the public generally does not view these "accidental" deaths as resulting from a deliberate use of deadly force. In at least one case this has resulted in the police officer riding the horse (that caused the injury) to be sued.[2]
A mounted police officer in Giza riding a camel.
Mounted police may be employed for specialized duties ranging from patrol of parks and wilderness areas, where police cars would be impractical or noisy, to riot duty, where the horse serves to intimidate those whom it is desired to disperse through its larger size, or may be sent in to detain trouble makers or offenders from the crowd. For example, in the UK, mounted police are most often seen at football matches, although they are also a common sight on the streets of many towns and cities as a visible police presence and crime deterrent during the day and night. Some mounted police units are trained in search and rescue due to the horse's ability to travel where vehicles cannot.
The French Maréchaussée—direct predecessors of the gendarmerie and the first national police force in a modern sense—were a corps of completely mounted constabulary from their establishment in the early 18th century.[3] Poor roads and extensive rural areas made horse-mounted police a necessity in European states until the early 20th century.
Horse saddle used by the West Midlands Police's mounted unit.
Tack used by mounted police is similar to standard riding tack, with adaptations for police use. Synthetic saddles are often favored over those made of natural leather to reduce weight, important both because of long riding hours and because police officers must carry numerous articles of personal equipment. High-traction horseshoes made of speciality metals or fitted with rubber soles are typically used in urban areas in place of standard steel horseshoes, which are prone to slip on pavement. Rubber soled shoes also produce less noise than steel shoes and jar the hoof less.
Horses working in riot control wear facial armor, made of perspex so that the animals can still see. The officers themselves are often equipped with especially long wooden or polycarbonate batons for use on horseback, as standard patrol batons would have insufficient length to strike individuals at ground level.
The New South Wales Mounted Police is a mounted section of the New South Wales Police Force, and the oldest continuous mounted group in the world.[10] Currently they have a strength of 36 officers and around 38 mounts and their duties include traffic and crowd management, patrols, and ceremonial protocol duties.[11]
Canada
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) is a well-known mounted police force, although horses are no longer in use operationally. However, horses are still used in the Musical Ride as well as by several provincial and municipal police detachments. In reference to their mounted heritage, current RCMP vehicle livery includes a silhouette of a horse and rider.
Toronto Police Service Mounted Unit - created in 1886 and has largest mounted unit among municipal police forces currently with 27 horses. Upon request, the mounted unit may be deployed to other cities.[12]
The Metropolitan Police Mounted Branch is the mounted section of the Metropolitan Police, the police force of Greater London (excluding the City of London, where the separate City of London Police has its own mounted branch). The Mounted Branch was founded in 1760 and is the oldest section of the Metropolitan Police. The Metropolitan Police Mounted Branch undertakes crowd control duties, especially at football matches, but also conducts general street patrols and escorts the Royal Guard change every morning.
Many cities in the United States have mounted units, New York having one of the largest with 55 horses as of 2016,[16] The Houston, Texas Police Department's Mounted Patrol Unit was started in 1983 and now consists of 1 lieutenant, 4 sergeants and 24 officers. It has become increasingly well known due to the decision to remove the shoes of all its 38 mounted horses and embrace the concept of naturalizing their horses' diet and care.[17][18]
Several American mounted units were disbanded or downsized in the 2010s.[19] For example, units in Boston and San Diego were disbanded by 2011, while New York City’s mounted unit was reduced considerably over the last decade with 79 police officers and 60 horses in 2011 – down from the 130 officers and 125 horses it had before the downsizing.[1]Philadelphia's mounted police unit was disbanded in 2004, but reinstated in 2011 with four horses from the disbanding unit of Newark, New Jersey.
The United States Border Patrol had 200 horses in 2005. Most of these are employed along the U.S.-Mexico border. In Arizona, these animals are fed special processed feed pellets so that their wastes do not spread non-native plants in the national parks and wildlife areas they patrol.[20]
^Sokoloski, Greg (2005). "City of Houston Police Horses Go Barefoot". The Horse's Hoof Magazine (18). Retrieved 22 February 2016.
^Cooper, Michael (14 February 2011). "Police Departments Downsize, From 4 Legs to 2". New York Times. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
^"Border Patrol Horses Get Special Feed that Helps Protect Desert Ecosystem". Enn.com. 2005-06-09. Retrieved 2011-10-18.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mounted police.
Informational site for mounted police officers
List of mounted search and rescue units
April 28, 2023
mounted, police, police, patrol, horseback, camelback, their, function, typically, picturesque, ceremonial, they, also, employed, crowd, control, because, their, mobile, mass, height, advantage, increasingly, crime, prevention, high, visibility, policing, role. Mounted police are police who patrol on horseback or camelback Their day to day function is typically picturesque or ceremonial but they are also employed in crowd control because of their mobile mass and height advantage and increasingly in the UK for crime prevention and high visibility policing roles The added height and visibility that the horses give their riders allows officers to observe a wider area and it also allows people in the wider area to see the officers which helps deter crime and helps people find officers when they need them 1 When employed for crowd control there is a risk that some people may be trampled resulting in injuries or death Due to this authoritarian regimes often use mounted police to supress protests as the public generally does not view these accidental deaths as resulting from a deliberate use of deadly force In at least one case this has resulted in the police officer riding the horse that caused the injury to be sued 2 A mounted police officer in Giza riding a camel Mounted police may be employed for specialized duties ranging from patrol of parks and wilderness areas where police cars would be impractical or noisy to riot duty where the horse serves to intimidate those whom it is desired to disperse through its larger size or may be sent in to detain trouble makers or offenders from the crowd For example in the UK mounted police are most often seen at football matches although they are also a common sight on the streets of many towns and cities as a visible police presence and crime deterrent during the day and night Some mounted police units are trained in search and rescue due to the horse s ability to travel where vehicles cannot Contents 1 History 2 Equipment 3 Notable modern units 3 1 Australia 3 2 Canada 3 3 Oman 3 4 United Kingdom 3 5 United States 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksHistory EditThe French Marechaussee direct predecessors of the gendarmerie and the first national police force in a modern sense were a corps of completely mounted constabulary from their establishment in the early 18th century 3 Poor roads and extensive rural areas made horse mounted police a necessity in European states until the early 20th century The establishment of organized law enforcement bodies throughout Africa Asia and the Americas during the colonial and post colonial eras made the concept of predominantly horse police accepted almost world wide 4 Notable examples include the Royal Canadian Mounted Police 5 the Mexican Rurales 6 the Rhodesian British South Africa Police 7 the Turkish Cypriot Zapiteh 8 and the caballeria mounted branch of the Spanish Civil Guard 9 Equipment Edit Horse saddle used by the West Midlands Police s mounted unit Tack used by mounted police is similar to standard riding tack with adaptations for police use Synthetic saddles are often favored over those made of natural leather to reduce weight important both because of long riding hours and because police officers must carry numerous articles of personal equipment High traction horseshoes made of speciality metals or fitted with rubber soles are typically used in urban areas in place of standard steel horseshoes which are prone to slip on pavement Rubber soled shoes also produce less noise than steel shoes and jar the hoof less Horses working in riot control wear facial armor made of perspex so that the animals can still see The officers themselves are often equipped with especially long wooden or polycarbonate batons for use on horseback as standard patrol batons would have insufficient length to strike individuals at ground level Notable modern units EditMain article List of mounted police units Australia Edit Members of the New South Wales Mounted Police on patrol in Sydney The New South Wales Mounted Police is a mounted section of the New South Wales Police Force and the oldest continuous mounted group in the world 10 Currently they have a strength of 36 officers and around 38 mounts and their duties include traffic and crowd management patrols and ceremonial protocol duties 11 Canada Edit The Royal Canadian Mounted Police RCMP is a well known mounted police force although horses are no longer in use operationally However horses are still used in the Musical Ride as well as by several provincial and municipal police detachments In reference to their mounted heritage current RCMP vehicle livery includes a silhouette of a horse and rider Members of the Toronto Police Service mounted unit A few other Canadian police forces have mounted units including Royal Newfoundland Constabulary has had a mounted unit since 1873 but full time after 2003 the unit has 4 horses Toronto Police Service Mounted Unit created in 1886 and has largest mounted unit among municipal police forces currently with 27 horses Upon request the mounted unit may be deployed to other cities 12 Halifax Regional Police Mounted Unit with 2 horses and 2 assigned riders 13 Hamilton Police Service established January 2010 with 5 horses Service de police de la Ville de Montreal Cavalry oldest mounted unit formed 1885 and currently with 8 horses 14 Calgary Police Service c 1978 and currently with 6 horses 15 Vancouver Police Department Mounted Squad c 1908 and reformed 1951 after disbanding in 1949 7 horses in the unit Oman Edit The Royal Oman Police have many horse and camel mounted troopers United Kingdom Edit Members of the City of London Police Mounted Unit The Metropolitan Police Mounted Branch is the mounted section of the Metropolitan Police the police force of Greater London excluding the City of London where the separate City of London Police has its own mounted branch The Mounted Branch was founded in 1760 and is the oldest section of the Metropolitan Police The Metropolitan Police Mounted Branch undertakes crowd control duties especially at football matches but also conducts general street patrols and escorts the Royal Guard change every morning United States Edit United States Border Patrol agents patrol on horseback in Texas Many cities in the United States have mounted units New York having one of the largest with 55 horses as of 2016 16 The Houston Texas Police Department s Mounted Patrol Unit was started in 1983 and now consists of 1 lieutenant 4 sergeants and 24 officers It has become increasingly well known due to the decision to remove the shoes of all its 38 mounted horses and embrace the concept of naturalizing their horses diet and care 17 18 Several American mounted units were disbanded or downsized in the 2010s 19 For example units in Boston and San Diego were disbanded by 2011 while New York City s mounted unit was reduced considerably over the last decade with 79 police officers and 60 horses in 2011 down from the 130 officers and 125 horses it had before the downsizing 1 Philadelphia s mounted police unit was disbanded in 2004 but reinstated in 2011 with four horses from the disbanding unit of Newark New Jersey The United States Border Patrol had 200 horses in 2005 Most of these are employed along the U S Mexico border In Arizona these animals are fed special processed feed pellets so that their wastes do not spread non native plants in the national parks and wildlife areas they patrol 20 See also EditMounted search and rescue Specialty within search and rescue Police dog Dog trained and used for law enforcement Police paddock Australian term for land set aside for police horses Use of UAVs in law enforcement Alternative for crowd controlReferences Edit a b Cooper Michael 15 February 2011 Police Horses Are Diminished in Number but Not Presence New York Times Retrieved 15 November 2012 Houston Woman Trampled By Mounted Police Officer During Summer Protests Sues HPD City M Petard Le cavalier de la marechaussee pages 22 27 Uniformes nr 85 Album 12 Michael Roth Mounted Police Forces a comparative history pages 707 719 Vol 21 Policing An International Journal of Police Strategies amp Management Ross David 24 March 1988 The Royal Canadian Mounted Police 1873 1987 pp 5 6 ISBN 0 85045 834 X Abbott Peter 1992 Disorder and Progress Bandits Police and Mexican Development pp 47 48 ISBN 0 8420 2439 5 Ross David 15 June 1986 Modern African Wars 1 Rhodesia pp 35 36 ISBN 0 85045 728 9 Illustrated London News June 26 1897 Bueno Jose 1989 La Guardia Civil su historia organizacion y sus uniformes pp 46 70 amp 74 ISBN 84 86629 34 9 Mounted Police Archived 2011 02 19 at the Wayback Machine at Thin Blue Line unofficial NSW police site Australians for Constitutional Monarchy Accessed 25 February 2022 https ottawa citynews ca police beat police send in mounted officers to create critical space from assaultive protesters 5082341 Accessed 20 February 2022 https www halifax ca fire police police about halifax regional police mounted unit Cavalry Service de Police de la Ville de Montreal SPVM About our mounted patrols and the horses Cook Lauren September 16 2016 NYPD Mounted Unit Meet the horses that patrol NYC s streets amNewYork Retrieved 22 September 2017 Willis Jill November December 2011 Barefoot Police Horses Equine Wellness Magazine Retrieved 22 February 2016 Sokoloski Greg 2005 City of Houston Police Horses Go Barefoot The Horse s Hoof Magazine 18 Retrieved 22 February 2016 Cooper Michael 14 February 2011 Police Departments Downsize From 4 Legs to 2 New York Times Retrieved 15 November 2012 Border Patrol Horses Get Special Feed that Helps Protect Desert Ecosystem Enn com 2005 06 09 Retrieved 2011 10 18 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mounted police Informational site for mounted police officers List of mounted search and rescue units Mounted Police in France Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Mounted police amp oldid 1152086686, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
