SHOULD HORSES BE USED BY THE POLICE? By Chloe
Since 1760 there have been equine officers patrolling the streets of London. Horses are integrated within history and modern-day culture, as they serve not only as a policing force, but also as a subtle symbol of the irreplaceable role horses played in our society. What started out as a way to prevent highwaymen stealing from people walking around central London, expanded in 1805 from 8 horses to 50. The Mounted Police were then moved to rural areas to help prevent livestock theft as the city developed and trains became more common. The modern-day mounted branch was created by Lt Col Laurie in 1919. Horses can take from 6 months to 2 years to be ready to go out on jobs and despite how the training that the horses undergo has developed, the tasks the officers and their horses are given has barely changed. Yet, cities are rife with traffic, urban areas have become more crowded and littered, and demonstrations and riots have become more common and more violent. So, should the police still be using horses to control these scenes?
REFERENCES https://animalsinhumansocieties.weebly.com/police-horses.html www.scienceabc.com/social-science/why-do-policemen-in-somebig-cities-still-use-horses.html www.rand.org/randeurope/research/projects/mounted-policeuk.html www.horseandhound.co.uk/tag/police-horses
