Editing Mounted police

{{Short description|Police who patrol on horseback or camelback}}
[[File:Dallas Police 2024.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|[[Dallas Police Department]] Mounted Unit (11-16-2024)]]
[[File:Mounted police in Giza (9200997814).jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|A mounted police officer in [[Giza]] riding a camel.]]
'''Mounted police''' are [[police]] who patrol on [[horse]]back or [[camel]]back. 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 [[United Kingdom|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.<ref name="mounted police NYTimes">{{cite web|last=Cooper|first=Michael|title=Police Horses Are Diminished in Number, but Not Presence|url=http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/15/in-new-york-fewer-police-horses-but-still-a-strong-force/|work=[[New York Times]]|access-date=15 November 2012|date=15 February 2011}}</ref> When employed for crowd control, there is a risk that some people may be trampled (resulting in injuries or death). The officer riding the horse might or might not be held legally responsible for injuries depending upon the totality of the circumstances.<ref>[https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/houston/2021/02/04/390699/houston-woman-trampled-by-horse-during-summer-protests-sues-hpd-and-city/ Houston Woman Trampled By Mounted Police Officer During Summer Protests Sues HPD, City]</ref>  

Mounted police may be employed for specialized duties ranging from patrol of parks and [[Wilderness|wilderness areas]], where [[police car]]s 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 (soccer)|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.

== History ==
The French [[Maréchaussée]]—direct predecessors of the [[French gendarmerie|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.<ref>M. Petard, "Le cavalier de la maréchaussée", pages 22-27 "Uniformes" nr 85 Album 12</ref> 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.<ref>Michael Roth "Mounted Police Forces: a comparative history", pages 707-719 Vol 21 "Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management"</ref> Notable examples include the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]],<ref>{{cite book |first=David |last=Ross |pages=5–6 |title=The Royal Canadian Mounted Police 1873-1987 |date=24 March 1988 |publisher=Bloomsbury USA |isbn=0-85045-834-X}}</ref> the Mexican [[Rurales]],<ref>{{cite book |first=Peter |last=Abbott |pages=[https://archive.org/details/disorderprogress00vand/page/47 47–48] |title=Disorder and Progress: Bandits, Police and Mexican Development |year=1992 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=0-8420-2439-5 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/disorderprogress00vand/page/47 }}</ref> the [[Rhodesia]]n [[British South Africa Police]],<ref>{{cite book |first=David |last=Ross |pages=35–36 |title=Modern African Wars (1): Rhodesia |date=15 June 1986 |publisher=Bloomsbury USA |isbn=0-85045-728-9}}</ref> the Turkish/Cypriot [[Zapiteh]]<ref>''[[Illustrated London News]]'', June 26, 1897</ref> and the ''caballeria'' (mounted branch) of the [[Civil Guard (Spain)|Spanish Civil Guard]].<ref>{{cite book|first=Jose|last=Bueno|pages=46, 70 & 74|title=La Guardia Civil, su historia, organizacion y sus uniformes|year=1989|publisher=Aldaba Ediciones |isbn=84-86629-34-9}}</ref>

== Equipment ==
[[File:Horse saddle and cloth WP Police ACC rank.jpg|thumb|Horse saddle used by the West Midlands Police's mounted unit.]]
[[Horse tack|Tack]] used by mounted police is similar to standard riding tack, with adaptations for police use. Synthetic [[saddle]]s 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 [[horseshoe]]s 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 [[Baton (law enforcement)|batons]] for use on horseback, as standard patrol batons would have insufficient length to strike individuals at ground level.

==Notable modern units==
{{Main|List of mounted police units}}

===Australia===
Australia, being a large country and not densely populated, commonly used mounted police in order to traverse the country side. All of the Mounted police units were formed in the 19th century and have continued to this day, excepting Tasmania.[[File:The Rocks NSW 2000, Australia - panoramio (118).jpg|thumb|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,<ref name="MP">[http://www.policensw.com/info/gen/u7.html Mounted Police] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110219093317/http://www.policensw.com/info/gen/u7.html |date=2011-02-19 }} at 'Thin Blue Line' unofficial NSW police site.</ref> formed on 7 September 1825. 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.norepublic.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4110&Itemid=65|title = Australians for Constitutional Monarchy}}</ref>
* The "Mounted Branch", or The [[Victoria Police Mounted Branch|Victorian Police Mounted Branch]] was formed in 1838 as the Mounted Police Fifth Division which consisted of soldiers from infantry regiments.  The Unit has 26 officers and more than 20 mounts.
* The [[Western Australia Police Force|Western Australian Mounted Police Branch]] was formed in 1834 and continues operation to this day.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Police |first=Western Australia |date=2023-08-30 |title=Our History |url=https://www.police.wa.gov.au/About-Us/Our-history |access-date=2023-09-12 |website=Western Australia Police |language=en}}</ref> It is the second oldest Mounted police Branch in the world after that of New South Wales.
* The Mounted Police of the [[South Australia Police|South Australian Police force]], known as "The Greys" due to the fact they only use grey horses, dates back to the start of the state's police force when it was originally formed of half mounted and half foot police, in 1838.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fanning |first=Graeme |title=Weekend Notes - South Australian Police Historical Society Museum |url=https://www.weekendnotes.com/south-australian-police-historical-society-museum/}}</ref> The Mounted police also used Camels up until 1951.
* [[Tasmania Police|Tasmanian Police]] used horses for riding and to pull sleds through Alpine (high country) territory in Winter. Both sleds <ref>{{Cite news |date=2016-04-14 |title=Harness the power of your pooch with sled dog boot camp |language=en-AU |work=ABC News |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-14/sled-dog-racing-in-tasmania-boot-camp/7325640 |access-date=2023-09-13}}</ref> and horses were dropped in favour of motorbikes, when the Police department purchased 84 departmentally owned motorcycle and sidecar units during late 1935 early 1936.
* The [[Northern Territory Police Force|Northern Territory Police]] has a mounted unit, which dates back to the late 19th century.

===Canada===
[[File:North West Mounted Police 1897.jpg|thumb|A [[North-West Mounted Police]] constable next to his horse in [[Alberta]], Canada, 1897]]
Mounted police units were used in Canada during the 19th century to carry out peace officer duties across vast and sparsely inhabited areas. The predecessors to the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]] (RCMP), the [[Royal North-West Mounted Police]], relied on using mounted riders from its inception in 1873 to carry out their policing duties across [[the Prairies]]. These mounted police were frequently the only government officials in the area.<ref name=rcmp>{{cite web|url=https://rcmp.ca/en/corporate-information/musical-ride/history-rcmp-musical-ride|website=rcmp.ca|publisher=Royal Canadian Mounted Police|access-date=3 November 2024|date=5 July 2024|title=History of the RCMP Musical Ride}}</ref> 
[[File:Snapshot. Police at Golf Course - Rosemount. Raoul Pelletier BAnQ P48S1P09583.jpg|thumb|A rider with the [[Service de police de la Ville de Montréal]]'s cavalry unit, 1943]]
Police services in Montreal and Toronto also formed their own mounted police units in the 1880s to cover larger areas in their cities. The [[Service de police de la Ville de Montréal]] formed its cavalry unit in 1885 to patrol several roads and park and act as an express mail service between the service's stations.<ref name=spvm>{{cite web|url=https://spvm.qc.ca/en/Pages/Discover-SPVM/Who-does-what/Cavalry-|title=Cavalry|website=spvm.qc.ca|publisher=Service de police de la Ville de Montréal|year=2024|access-date=3 November 2024}}</ref> The [[Toronto Police Service]] formed its mounted unit in 1886 to provide a police presence in outlying areas of the city that seldom saw police prior to the unit's introduction.<ref name=tps>{{cite web|url=http://www.thewarriorsdayparade.ca/Images/Toronto%20Police%20Mounted%20Unit.pdf|title=Brief history of the Toronto Police Mounted Unit|last=Wardle|first=William|website=www.thewarriorsdayparade.ca|access-date=3 November 2024}}</ref> Both services also used their mounted units to enforce traffic laws during the early advent of automobilies.<ref name=spvm/><ref name=tps/>

The RNWMP's reliance on mounted police units declined significantly after the First World War due to automobiles. Although the RCMP's increasingly relied on motorised vehicles for its work in the 1920s and 1930s, equestrian training remained a centrepiece of its recruit training regimen at [[RCMP Academy, Depot Division|RCMP Training Academy]] until 1966.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://rcmp.ca/en/gazette/role-rcmp-horse-past-150-years|website=rcmp.ca|publisher=Royal Canadian Mounted Police|access-date=3 November 2024|date=21 June 2024|title=The role of the RCMP horse in the past 150 years}}</ref> {{Asof|2024}}, the RCMP maintains a single troop of 32 riders, the [[Musical Ride]]. However, they are an equestrian showcase unit that does not perform any regular police duties.<ref name=rcmp/>

Municipal police services continued to use mounted police in the 1920s and 1930s for crowd management duties, with the Toronto Police Service and [[Vancouver Police Department]]'s mounted units growing in size during the [[Great Depression]] due to the increasing demonstrations and riots taking place.<ref name=tps/><ref name=vpd>{{cite web|url=https://vpd.ca/about-the-vpd/vpd-mounted-unit-horses/|title=VPD Mounted Unit Horses|publisher=Vancouver Police Department|year=2024|access-date=3 November 2024|website=vpd.ca}}</ref> Toronto and Vancouver's mounted units also saw significant use for crowd control during the 1960s and 1970s.<ref name=tps/><ref name=vpd/>
[[File:Toronto Police Service Mounted Police rider.jpg|thumb|A rider with the [[Toronto Police Service]]'s mounted unit on patrol in the city's [[Fashion District, Toronto|Fashion District]], 2013]]
Police services in Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver continue to maintain mounted units for community patrols and crowd management at large events.<ref name=spvm/><ref name=tps/><ref name=vpd/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.calgary.ca/cps/specialty-teams/about-our-mounted-patrols-and-the-horses.html|title=Mounted Patrol Unit|publisher=The City of Calgary|year=2024|access-date=4 November 2024|website=www,calgary.ca}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.halifax.ca/fire-police/police/about-halifax-regional-police/mounted-unit|title=Halifax Regional Police Mounted Unit|date=18 March 2021|access-date=3 November 2024|website=www.halifax.ca|publisher=Halifax Regional Municipality}}</ref> {{asof|2024}}, the Toronto Police Service Mounted Unit is Canada's largest mounted police unit that performs operational duties, made up of 24 horses. Toronto's mounted police unit is primarily tasked with community patrols, although they also conduct vehicular stops, assist with searches, and provide crowd management support, particularly in the city's [[Toronto Entertainment District|Entertainment District]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2024/bu/bgrd/backgroundfile-242575.pdf|website=www.toronto.ca|title=2024 OPERATING BUDGET BRIEFING NOTE Toronto Police Service – Annual Operating Budget for the Mounted Unit, 24 Shades of Blue podcast and Communications Consulting|date=23 January 2024|access-date=4 November 2024|last=Chablinskaia|first=Anna|publisher=City of Toronto}}</ref>

===India===
{{See also|Shaktiman (horse)|label 1=Shaktiman, a horse that served with the Uttarakhand Police Force}}
The [[Kolkata Police]] maintain the Kolkata Mounted Police force which was established in 1840. As of 2024, it has a strength of 2 inspectors, one sergeant-major, 10 sergeants, one JCO, five head sowars, 85 sowars and 98 syces. The force operates 68 horses under 2 stables (one on S N Banerjee Road with a capacity of 70 and the other in [[Diamond Harbour]] with 32 horses). The force is deployed currently to regulate crowds in [[Maidan (Kolkata)|Maidan]] area in sporting and other events and also showcased in ceremonial events like [[Republic Day (India)|Republic Day]] parade in front of [[Raj Bhavan, Kolkata|Raj Bhavan]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-02-25 |title=Trotting, cantering and galloping: A day in the life of India's oldest mounted police |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/kolkata/trotting-cantering-galloping-a-day-kolkata-mounted-police-9179425/ |access-date=2024-07-03 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-08-10 |title=No more civilian 'sowars', Mounted Police trains Kolkata cops as riders |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/no-more-civilian-sowars-mounted-police-trains-kolkata-cops-as-riders/articleshow/93465310.cms |access-date=2024-07-03 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Headquarter Force – Kolkata Police |url=https://kolkatapolice.gov.in/unit_details/headquarter-force/ |access-date=2024-07-03 |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Oman===
The [[Royal Oman Police]] have many horse- and camel-mounted troopers.{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}}

===United Kingdom===
[[File:Police Horses (8013453519).jpg|thumb|Members of the [[City of London Police#Mounted unit|City of London Police Mounted Unit]]. ]]
There are thirteen mounted police sections in the UK. The mounted sections support policing in specialist operations, major incidents, and anti-social behaviour. A mounted officer's responsibilities may include liaising with rural and urban communities on horseback or situations that may attract large crowds such as at sporting and cultural events or at demonstrations. Mounted sections also participate in ceremonial duties.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-04-25 |title=Mounted Forces |url=https://www.bhs.org.uk/careers-recreational-awards/equestrian-careers-guide/mounted-forces/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240425084829/https://www.bhs.org.uk/careers-recreational-awards/equestrian-careers-guide/mounted-forces/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=2024-04-25 |access-date=2024-05-07 |website=The British Horse Society}}</ref> The [[Bow Street Horse Patrols|Bow Street Horse Patrol]], founded in 1763, are the oldest uniformed police force in the world. They were formally incorporated into the Metropolitan Police in 1836. Today 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 [[City of London Police#Mounted unit|mounted branch]]). 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 at the London's [[List_of_British_royal_residences#Official_residences|royal residences]].


===United States===
[[File:South Texas, Border Patrol Agents, McAllen Horse Patrol Unit (11933609855).jpg|thumb|[[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,<ref name="Cook-2016">{{cite web|url=http://www.amny.com/news/nypd-mounted-unit-meet-the-horses-that-patrol-nyc-s-streets-1.12327370|title=NYPD Mounted Unit: Meet the horses that patrol NYC's streets|last=Cook|first=Lauren|date=September 16, 2016|publisher=amNewYork|access-date=22 September 2017}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://equinewellnessmagazine.com/horses-cops-a-mounted-patrol-unit/ |title=Barefoot Police Horses |last1=Willis |first1=Jill |date=November–December 2011 |publisher=Equine Wellness Magazine |access-date=22 February 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sokoloski |first1=Greg |date=2005 |title=City of Houston Police Horses Go Barefoot |url=https://www.thehorseshoof.com/success_Houston1.html |journal=The Horse's Hoof Magazine |issue=18 |access-date=22 February 2016}}</ref>

Several American mounted units were disbanded or downsized in the 2010s.<ref>{{cite web|last=Cooper|first=Michael|title=Police Departments Downsize, From 4 Legs to 2|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/15/us/15horses.html|work=[[New York Times]]|access-date=15 November 2012|date=14 February 2011}}</ref> 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.<ref name="mounted police NYTimes"/> [[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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.enn.com/top_stories/article/1731 |title=Border Patrol Horses Get Special Feed that Helps Protect Desert Ecosystem |publisher=Enn.com |date=2005-06-09 |access-date=2011-10-18}}</ref>

== See also ==
*{{annotated link|Mounted search and rescue}}
*{{annotated link|Police dog}}
*{{annotated link|Police paddock}} – Australian term for land set aside for police horses
*{{annotated link|Use of UAVs in law enforcement}} – Alternative for crowd control
*[[Municipal horse]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.mountedpolice.com/ Informational site for mounted police officers]
*[http://www.ibiblio.org/msar/units/ List of mounted search and rescue units]
*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20051101023008/http://www.equineonline.net/france/equestrian_articles/police_forces_hold_the_reins_in_security.htm Mounted Police in France]}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Mounted police| ]]
[[Category:Law enforcement units]]
[[Category:Crowd control]]
[[Category:Riot control]]
[[Category:Law enforcement animals]]