NCJ Number
174637
Journal
Policing Volume: 21 Issue: 4 Dated: 1998 Pages: 707-719
Date Published
1998
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This is an historical overview of the evolution of mounted police forces.
Abstract
The article traces mounted police forces from British antecedents in former British colonies through today's British colonies, the United States and Mexico. It also reviews the pressures that brought this specialized form of policing into existence, the characteristics of different units and their ultimate success or failure. Beginning in 1758 the London Bow Street police established the Mounted Branch of the Metropolitan Police, and Australia and Texas implemented mounted police units by the 1820s, but the earliest formal mounted police force was probably London's 1805 Horse Patrol. The article examines development of mounted police in Australia, South Africa, the United Kingdom (both domestic and foreign service), New Zealand, Jordan, India, Canada, the United States and Mexico. Today the most common reasons for the existence of mounted units are riot control, community relations and high visibility, and they add a touch of pageantry to events such as parades and funerals. References, bibliography