Crime Prevention

Alamein has had a mixed few months performing ceremonial duties and also contributing to public order events and sporting occasions. In addition he had some time off following a puncture to the sole of his foot. Early one evening on the way back from a crime patrol in West London he trod on a nail which pierced the sole of his foot, this required urgent vets assistance and I had to juggle some plates to find a spare horse box to take him to New Market for emergency surgery to remove the nail. Fortunately the surgery went well and the nail missed any arteries and tendons in the foot. The opportunity for him to rest and recuperate was not lost. Horses that require more than just short term recovery are sent to the Mounted Training Establishment in Surrey. Space is at a premium in central London and the MTE has facilities for exercising and working recovering horses in a much more appropriate environment. This includes lungeing pits which allow the horses to be properly exercised without a rider on top; they also have a horse walker, two indoor riding schools and perhaps the favourite of all they have paddocks for the horses to be turned out to graze! A real treat for horses that live in the centre of London! It is great to see the horses play and cavort when they are first released into the field. Surprisingly some horses get bored of it quite quickly and it is not uncommon to find some of them waiting at the gate to come in after a few hours! In very rare circumstances we have the use of a field that horses can be ‘turned out’ in for long periods of time. This is reserved for horses suffering from quite severe problems, it is affectionately known as the ‘magic field’ because the healing effects of allowing a horse to behave naturally are clearly noticeable. Recently police horse Hadrian came back from the magic field and his coat and mane were so long and shaggy that he looked like a Highland Cow without the horns. I am pleased to say that horse sickness is not prevalent although we always ere on the side of caution and if a horse appears to be uncomfortable we will treat quickly. It is always cheaper and kinder to act early if a horse appears to be unwell. All this pampering has meant that Alamein will not be fit to undertake the Lord Mayor of London’s parade this year. Because he is so reliable he is often used on this type of high profile public pageant. Just in case people begin to think that life in the MPS Mounted Branch is all bulled boots, white gloves and medals I have included a picture taken of a disturbance on Trafalgar Square. On a completely different note, with Christmas just on the horizon and I suspect lots of readers and their families hoping that Santa brings them a computer I thought I would offer some online crime prevention advice, much of which also applies to mobile phones: 1) If children or young people are using the internet why not put the computer in a communal area? That way all the family can enjoy the positive side of the internet while you can still supervise. 2) Make sure that personal or family information is not disclosed on line. This includes e-mail addresses, user I.D’S, phone numbers etc. 3) Understand that if you post pictures on line that you will have no control over what happens to them. Strangers can alter and use your pictures for whatever purposes they like. 4) If your children know more about computers that you do, ask them to show you how to do things. You get to share time with them and you get to know what they know! 5) Criminals and perverts use the internet. Some people lie online for the worst reasons. Never meet alone with anyone you have only met online. If you are an adult that is going to meet someone you have only had computer contact with make sure you go along with a friend for your first meeting until you are quite sure who you are dealing with. Children should never be allowed unsupervised meetings with strangers. You have no way of knowing who you are dealing with. 6) Make sure that you and your family know how to report online suspicions and block unwelcome people. For information on how to do this and more online crime prevention advice please go to: www.thinkuknow.co.uk or www.ceop.gov.uk Jon Taylor

Hendon Police College Passing Out Parade

Crowd Control Trafalgar Square

Major Sid Keyte - Live stand up comedy show on 11 November at Sandhurst has brought in £7000+ to help The Rifles Care 4 Casualties Appeal. Welldone Sid!

“Thank you so much to all those who sponsored me at Sandhurst. Your efforts have already raised over £7000. I’ve made a 50 min DVD of the show for anyone else who would like to support this cause - if you would like a copy please visit this link: http:// www.justgiving.com/SidKeyte. Cost is £10. Please could you send your postal address on an email to sidkeyte@ hotmail.com.”

Sid Keyte`s Comedy Show at Sandhurst