POLICE officers on horseback ensured no one was going to ‘stirrup’ trouble in the city centre today.
Officers from Thames Valley Police travelled down to Southampton to patrol the high street and surrounding area.
Officers Chris Harriett and James Metcalfe, along with horses Triton and Victor, spent time talking to passers-by, many of which wanted to say hello to the horses.
James said: “We’ve taken the horses out into Southampton to get ourselves out and patrol the areas that have been crime hotspots and tackle it.
The force's mounted division has been out on patrol again today in #Southampton city centre.
— Southampton Cops (@SouthamptonCops) October 5, 2022
Thanks to everyone who has come and said hi so far, they've been a great addition to the team.
They'll be on patrol for the rest of the afternoon so see if you can spot them! pic.twitter.com/YMChyLV6gP
“We’re also saying hello to lots of people.
“We definitely come down here when we can. There’s only six of us on this section but we get about quite a bit.
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“We’ve had lots of people waving from shops and restaurants and it’s lovely to speak to lots of people and to talk about the horses.
“It’s good for people to see us, so talking to them is very nice.”
Both James and Chris believe the horses attract people to interact with the police, whether that be to ask questions or to simply have a conversation.
This makes their visit very positive.
James said: “Going up and down the high street today, everybody who is near can see us, whereas if we were on foot people may not speak to us or know we are there.
“People who may not ordinarily speak to the police are speaking to us and asking for information.
“This is really good to spread ourselves out here in Southampton and to get out as much as we can. I’d say doing this is always a positive, for local policing and our operations.”
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