Six horse riders will help police fight crime in rural areas in Cumbria.
The volunteers will be the force’s eyes and ears on the ground, helping to gather intelligence, report suspicious incidents and provide advice to the often isolated communities.
Cumbria Constabulary said: “They will carry out this during daylight hours and will provide a visible presence within the community.”
They have been introduced in the Eden area, with some of the volunteers being based in Appleby, Alston and Upper Eden.
The trial has been launched as part of Road Safety Week and the volunteers spent their first shifts supporting the force’s road safety campaign.
Equipment is being funded by Cumbria Neighbourhood Watch and NFU.
Sergeant Tamara Tatton, of Cumbria Constabulary’s Citizen in Policing team, said “The mounted volunteers will help support police officers to tackle rural crime by providing additional eyes and ears within the community reporting suspicious vehicles, looking out for signs of wildlife crime and driving offences.
“The volunteers will patrol on their own horses in areas local to them and help us to reach rural areas which officers may not be able to reach with vehicles other than on foot.
“Being local to the community they will already have established a relationship with the local community and help us identify areas where crime prevention advice may be needed.
The riders will also get an annual visit from a volunteer from the British Horse Society to check on the horse’s welfare.
Some of the volunteers have commented on their involvement in the trail saying:
Amanda Wallbank, senior agent for NFU Appleby, said “We are pleased to provide support the Mounted Police Volunteers trial in our area of Eden. They are another set of eyes and ears in our fight against rural crime working alongside our existing Country Watch Eden Volunteers.”
Joe Murray QPM, chair of Cumbria Neighbourhood Watch Association, said “Rural crime continues to be a problem with serious consequences for farmers beyond the loss of expensive machinery and equipment.
“This project is yet another excellent piece of work that reflects well on members of our community who are using each and any means by which they can work in partnership with Cumbria police to impact on rural crime. This presents an opportunity to prevent and reduce crime and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.”
Police and crime commissioner Peter McCall said: “Cumbria is a rural county and criminals target these rural areas with the hope that they are more vulnerable, and I know that this is a real concern for people living in more isolated areas.
“This is a great new initiative, as the horse riders have local understanding of the rural areas they ride around and in partnership with the police, can keep local officers updated on any problems they may come across.
“The scheme will help to provide up-to-date feedback to the police, as the volunteers are able to identify and report any unusual or suspicious behaviour.
“I am confident that our new mounted volunteer recruits will find their role rewarding and it’s only by working together, we can help keep our rural communities safe.”
