Merseyside Police Mounted Section is bucking the national trend and expanding. Peter Elson reports

COULD it be the most terrifying image a police horse ever has to face? Everton FC flags, decorated with Wayne Rooney’s face, grin at horses training for Merseyside Police’s Mounted Section.

These flags, with their faded legend “Rooneymania”, are used in the Indoor Riding School, with other props called “nuisances”.

They help young horses to become familiar with startling and frightening sights.

Sound effects of various noises, from crowds to fireworks and gun-shots, are also played.

When their education is finished at the Mather Avenue Police Training Facility, the horses will not budge unless told, no matter if distracted by plastic bags or petrol bombs.

It is all part of the daily routine at the only mounted police section in Britain to be increasing its number of horses.

The section has 27 horses and is about to acquire another, a total not far off a former long-gone, all-time high of 30 animals.

Merseyside Police has the third- largest mounted section out of 18 in the UK, after the Metropolitan and Greater Manchester Police.

Led by Inspector Mark Fallows, the section has three sergeants, 23 constables and 11 support crew, plus six horse boxes.

The horses cost £2,000 to £5,000 each – far less than a £30,000 high-octane show-jumper.

It is no secret that Merseyside’s Chief Constable, Bernard Hogan-Howe, is a keen horseman and very supportive of the section.

“It’s certainly helpful that the chief likes horses,” says Mark.

“Our bread and butter work is football matches, which obviously we have a lot of here.

“The horses are very cost- effective, as in crowd control situations they do the work of six to 12 foot officers.

“Being high up, you can see potential problems and also direct foot officers to them.

“Also, horses are huge ice-breakers, whether with individuals or in crowds.

“Research revealed the public are 10 times more likely to approach a policeman or woman on a horse than one on foot.

“Not only are we more visible, but the horses’ presence has a calming influence on crowds who like to see them there.

“I know personally that, at a match, 20 to 40 people will come up to pet the horse and talk.

“Police horses are natural labour-saving devices. No machine can match their physical and psychological functions.

“Even on civil protest websites, people are told not to harm police horses. We’re still basically a nation of animal-lovers.”

Horses are also ideal for dealing with social behaviour issues at night-time city centre patrols, or daytime patrols in parks and Liverpool’s Loopline, or the Wirral Way.

“At Cotgrave, in Nottingham, police horses entirely turned around a youth disorder problem,” says Mark.

“After horse patrols came in, instead of running off, youths gathered to meet them and talk.

“A 2006 study showed a 55% decrease in violent city centre crime with mounted patrols.”

Such is Merseyside’s success that it set up a new mounted section for North Wales Police.

Four horses have just finished their training at Mather Avenue and left for their new home at Erddig Park, near Wrexham.

Acting Sergeant Kath Rackham, who is working with Rebel, a handsome four-year-old, says: “Horses have very good eyesight and hearing.

“However, they can be very selective in what they choose to hear from their rider!”