Some of Your Horse’s #Hack1000miles participants are putting their hours hacking a horse to good use — as mounted police volunteers.
As the eyes and ears of rural communities, horse riders can’t be beaten. We are out in all weathers, pounding the roads, fields and bridleways — and this is why numerous police forces around the UK recruit equestrians to put the ‘neigh’ into neighbourhood policing.
One of the longest established groups is at Suffolk Constabulary, and Sarah Hills and her 17.2hh Clydesdale cross Robbie were among the first three combinations to sign up in 2015.
The pair spends 10 to 15 hours a week in police-branded high vis gear, riding in their official capacity and travelling all over the east coast of Suffolk. They visit woodland areas, beaches and places that regular patrols don’t reach.
Potential crimes solved include finding passports, wallets and other stolen property, reporting fly tipping, searching for lost dogs and people, and capturing head cam footage of speeding vehicles and drug dealing.
However, Sarah feels that the most important part of her role is raising public awareness, whether that’s to alert drivers about passing horses wide and slow on the roads, or the benefits of wearing high vis clothing.
‘Like applying to be a police officer’
Ali Pearce and Shelley Saunt signed up to Leicestershire Police’s Volunteers on Horseback scheme in October 2023 after seeing an ad on social media.
“It was just like applying to be a police officer,” remembers Ali. “I had to fill in an application form explaining why I wanted to do it and what I could bring to the role, and then I had a formal interview with two members of the rural policing team.
“Once I’d been accepted I had a half-day course at police HQ learning about Leicestershire Police, after which I undertook the mandatory learning modules online.”
Ali and Shelley now form part of a team of 20 riders who volunteer as the “eyes and ears” of the countryside, and they engage with members of the public as representatives of the police.
Duties include Operation Snaffle
“We’ve been trained in tack marking and we go to local events and country fairs. We also do bike tagging; we speak to people about crime prevention; and we can give advice on various scenarios, such as what to do if someone sees a car that they suspect is stolen, or where to report fly tipping.
“Part of our role is to make links with local farmers and landowners and so we are members of lots of local rural WhatsApp groups.
Earlier this year Ali and Shelley were a part of Operation Snaffle, a joint venture between Leicestershire Police and Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service.
The pair rode along a busy road at rush hour, followed by police on bikes, and drivers passing inappropriately close or fast were stopped, educated and warned by the authorities about their behaviour.
“The drivers were shown a video that demonstrated what could happen if a horse spooked or kicked out,” explains Ali. “It was meant to be educational. As part of this exercise the police also found people without MOTs and spotted some using phones as they drove.”
Equates to £7,000 of policing time
Dorset Police launched a Rural Mounted Volunteers scheme in October 2023 as part of its rural policing plan. There are now 16 volunteers across the county and they have carried out more than 315 hours of service in the past year, which equates to £7,000 of policing from a mounted police officer.
Each volunteer is assigned a police collar number and ID. They are provided with a uniform which includes high vis kit for the horse — a mesh blanket, leg bandages and ear covers.
A jacket with police support volunteer badging and a hat band is provided for the rider.
“The aim of the role is a mixture of gathering information from what they see on their ride and also us imparting knowledge to them so that when they stop to talk to people they can engage with the public out in those rural communities,” says Andy Turtle, Citizens in Policing manager for the force.
The Dorset volunteers are required to fill out a duty sheet three days before their shifts, detailing where they will be and when. This allows the police control room to utilise them if appropriate.
Operation Close Pass
Future training for Dorset volunteers includes how to spot wildlife and heritage crime, plus rural criminal damage. Dorset Police is also planning a Pass Wide & Slow event called Operation Close Pass to educate drivers as to how to safely pass horses and cyclists.
At the time of writing, Sandra Stevens had recently completed her training for Dorset’s mounted volunteers.
“I do a lot of hacking out and already report lots of stuff to the police, so it seemed like a natural progression,” she says.
“I’m always looking over hedges for anything untoward. So far I’ve reported people in cars smoking drugs, fly tipping, speeding drivers and abandoned vehicles.
“There was a lot to learn — I think I went into it a bit naively — but I’m looking forward to hacking out on the local lanes on duty.”
Requirements of a mounted police volunteer
- Training and requirements vary from force to force, but at the very least you must have access to a horse and be insured.
- You need to be 18 or over.
- You must be willing to commit to a certain number of hours of volunteering each year — at Leicestershire Police this is 100 hours and at Dorset it is 75.
- Some forces ask that you have a minimum number of years of riding experience — at Dorset it is five.
- Expect to be DBS checked to find out if you or any of your close family have a criminal record.
- Police forces will send you on courses to familiarise you with certain aspects of policing, such as safeguarding, intelligence gathering and the police IT system.
- Some forces, including Leicestershire, will give you a ridden assessment, including walking, trotting and cantering one-handed.
Main image of mounted police officer © Shutterstock
