Last week the BBC reported: Mounted police are to patrol the streets of York city centre in an effort to curb anti-social behaviour and drink-related crime.
Apparently this move is the latest part of their Operation Lion (see previous post), a campaign by North Yorkshire Police to target persistent offenders.
It’s interesting to see that police management are now suddenly valuing the worth of mounted police patrols, the ones they originally stopped due to them being too expensive. Pity this new ‘initiative’ comes at a time when most forces have already consigned their horses to the glue factory.
For many years it has been common knowledge that; some police services are just too expensive, especially in the current financial climate, for individual forces to retain that particular capability. Many forces are now pooling specialist services such as mounted police and underwater search units on a mutual aid basis.
The deployment of horses in York is likely to be part of the Policing Yorkshire and the Humber initiative however; despite the economic and operational advantages Chief officers still continue to rubbish any ideas about amalgamation.
Another example of self-interest and the preservation of ACPO and management posts per chance?
Related Articles
- Lions roar whilst moggies purr! (bankbabble.wordpress.com)
- Police cuts: yesterday’s news? (bankbabble.wordpress.com)
- Mounted police in plea for horses on loan as they run short of mounts (mirror.co.uk)
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