Humberside Police have launched new Community Safety Mounted Volunteers (CSMV), a dedicated team of horse-riding volunteers.
These volunteers will work in partnership with the Rural Task Force and Roads Policing officers to strengthen police visibility, promote community engagement and enhance safety in rural areas across the force.
The CSMV team is currently comprised of 10 trained riders, with the focus to patrol hard-to-reach areas by covering rural routes around the East Riding that may not be seen as often by patrolling officers. Their aims are to deter crime and report incidents of rural and wildlife crime, antisocial behaviour and fly tipping.
Each rider has undergone comprehensive training in First Aid, Crime Prevention and Road Safety, and has completed the British Horse Society ‘Ride Safe Award’. Equipped with high-visibility uniform and bi-directional helmet cameras, the team also support a variety of police operations including Operation Close Pass and Operation Snap. These initiatives are aimed at educating and enforcing road safety for vulnerable road users, such as horse-riders and cyclists.
The Mounted Volunteers also play a key role in supporting Farm Watch and Horse Watch schemes.
Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Leo Hammond said: “This is a really important scheme, the CSMV offer a unique service to parts of the force that may not be seen as often by patrolling officers.
“Tackling road safety and rural crime are key areas of importance for the Police and Crime Commissioner and this scheme will further help the efforts Humberside Police are making in these areas.”
