Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has had discussions with police forces on the retention of horses for use in crowd control.

The Home Office regularly discusses with the National Police Chief’s Council the effectiveness of public order tactics including the use of Mounted Horse Units for crowd control purposes.

Police support animals make an outstanding contribution to the detection and prevention of crime and in maintaining public safety. Decisions on the availability and deployment of horses and mounted units are an operational matter for chief constables, working with their Police and Crime Commissioner.