Maureen told me about an "Open Door" visit she had at the Vancouver Mounted Police stables in Stanley Park. She has seen the evolution of the horses being very accessible to people and now pretty much inaccessible. Understandable given the times. A young woman officer gave the presentation and had lots of interesting information.
* Officers can join this division never having ridden a horse.
* The horses are purchased from various sources unlike the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who raise their own horses,
* The division doesn't have a certain area to police and can go anywhere in the city.
* They are sometimes the first responder in a situation.
* In any situation they need to have an "out" if a horse starts behaving badly and could pose a danger to people.
* Crowds and parades are difficult especially because of so many children who end up being close to the horses.
* Her worst situation was when her "out" was the seawall and just as she was about to make use of it she got a call that a police car was going to be speeding down the seawall answering an emergency. It worked out in the end.
It's been really interesting for Jim and I to see these horses in action and we often hear the clip clop as they come round our neighbourhood. Generally they are a non threatening presence but the first summer after the Stanley Cup riots in Vancouver, we were watching the Celebration of Light fireworks from our apartment on Beach Avenue and they were a pretty strong message. After the fireworks ended, a row of about 8 or so mounted police cleared the crowds in front of us. No one stuck around or asked questions.
We've often commented on what a good idea the police on bicycles are and how they provide surveillance but in a pretty gentle way. But I imagine a group of them could present a pretty strong message as well.
It's tough being a good cop these days and I have a lot of respect for the complex skills they need and that they put their safety on the line all the time. And as Maureen says, the ones that just can't really do it can always be put in the "Lost and Found" department.
