Information about officers and horses that work in the Mounted Branch
Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.22.026344
I note you seek access to the following information:
1. I request the number of full time and part time staff in the mounted unit,
2. Including mean hours of part time staff.
3. I request the number of horses in the mounted unit
4. Including numbers that that are/are not in active duty and why any horses are not currently on active duty.
5. I request the operating procedures for mounted police in respect to the welfare of the horses – the maximum hours a horse can work,
6. The maximum hours including transportation that a horse can be away from the stables,
7. The maximum amount of time a horse can be stood in the horsebox when on duty.
8. I also request the risk assessment for the welfare of the horse on active duty
Decision
I have today decided to disclose the located information to you in full.
Please find below information pursuant to your request above.
Information has been located for Questions One (1), Three (3), Four (4) and Eight (8).
Information for Question Two (2), Five (5), Six (6) and Seven (7) is not recorded in a format to which the MPS can refer to.
Q1 - I request the number of full time and part time staff in the mounted unit
Mounted Branch staff are made up of;
- 99 full time and 16 part time police officers
- 23 full time police staff and 5 part time police staff
Q2 - Including mean hours of part time staff
The information you have requested is not held in a recorded format which the MPS can refer to.
Q3 - I request the number of horses in the mounted unit
There are 98 horses in The Mounted Branch. This is the current list of horses which changes daily.
Q4 - Including numbers that that are/are not in active duty and why any horses are not currently on active duty.
- 35 Operational – in full active duty
- 13 Remounts in training – new horses in training, not on active duty yet
- 17 Remounts out at unit – horses still in training but progressing to some active duties within their training plan at operational stables
- 11 Class horses – not in active duty, used specifically in the riding school
- 7 Escort – older police horses who help with training the new horses escorting them on the roads, can be used for active duty
- 7 Sick – horses that need care not in active duty until they are better
- 7 Turnout (4 of which are operational) – all horses have at least 2 weeks turn out every year.
- 1 Retirement – older horse being retired.
Q5 - I request the operating procedures for mounted police in respect to the welfare of the horses – the maximum hours a horse can work,
The information you have requested for this question is not held.
There is not a recorded Standard Operating Procedures to guide on the maximum hours a horse can work for within The MPS or with Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) or The British Horse Society (BHS).
To assist you the MPS can advise that the National Standard Operating Procedure states that each horse will have its own requirements and will therefore require a specific exercise plan. The usual patrol time for a mounted branch horse is between 2 hours and 3.5 hours long. If there is an extended tour, for example policing Notting Hill Carnival, the horses are rotated around so that they have regular breaks, where officers dismount and horses are fed and watered.
All officers within the MPS mounted branch undergo a minimum of 16 weeks Standard Equitation Course, where officers learn to look after horses including their welfare, fitness and extensive stable management. Many staff also have outside equine qualifications, experience and knowledge.
The MPS has high standards of equine care including regular veterinary checks, dentistry, saddlery and farrier visits. Our staff ensure that horses are fit to carry out their duties and if they do have an extended tour of duty, this is reflected in their workload and if duties allow the next day will be a shorter patrol or in any case their workload is monitored each week to share out the longer shifts. Every horse will have one rest day per week.
Q6 - The maximum hours including transportation that a horse can be away from the stables,
The information you have requested for this question is not held.
There is not a Standard Operating Procedure regarding the maximum hours including transportation that a horse can be away from the stables for the MPS, DEFRA or The BHS. To assist you the MPS advises that if a horse/horses have had a long tour of duty, this is reflected in their workload, if duties allow the next day will be a shorter patrol or in any case their workload is monitored each week to share out the longer shifts.
Q7 - The maximum amount of time a horse can be stood in the horsebox when on duty.
The information you have requested is not held in a recorded format by the MPS to which we can refer.
To assist you with your area of interest, we can advise that the guidance surrounding horse transportation is set by DEFRA which states how long horses can be travelled for, which the MPS fully comply with and is far below the eight hours without a break set out in legislation.
There is no guidance for the maximum amount of time a horse can be stood in the horsebox when on duty.
Sometimes there is a need to keep horses on the horse box until they are needed operationally. Officers can be held ‘on standby’ until they are required. The horse box is the safest place for horses to be, they are all in individual stalls, the horses have a hay-net each with plenty to eat, they are offered water as soon as they arrive, during and after the duty and before they travel back to their stable. The horses are also fed their usual feed in a nose bag on the box, if the shift covers their normal feed time. When horses are travelled by horse box by the MPS, they are always accompanied by a member of mounted branch staff and are never left unattended. The horses wear protective clothing such as knee boots, travel boots and tail bandages to avoid injury while travelling.
The horse boxes fully comply with DEFRA standards with anti-slip flooring, lighting, sufficient floor space and height for the animals, specific ramp angles required for horses. The horse boxes are fitted with air conditioning and CCTV with good ventilation. The horse box is cleared out before horses are re-loaded and completely washed out at the end of the shift.
I provide you below with the following DEFRA governmental links, as well as the Governments Code of Practice for the welfare of horses, ponies, donkeys and their hybrids, may be of interest to you;
DEFRA - Submit a FOI or SAR request
Government website: Keeping horses
Q8 – I also request the risk assessment for the welfare of the horse on active duty
The MPS is able to today provide you with the Risk Assessment that would be used for general patrolling.