THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state mounted police have started patrolling beach areas, including Shankhumukham, during late nights in a bid to enhance its presence in the tourist location that is witnessing increased footfall owing to summer vacation. Earlier, the mounted police used to patrol Shankhumukham beach only on special occasions, such as Onam celebrations.
Currently, patrolling is being carried out in two shifts. The first shift covers 5.30pm to 7.30pm and is carried out from Friday to Sunday. The second shift is scheduled for from 10pm to midnight, every day. The decision to start beach patrolling was taken by City Police Commissioner K Karthick.
Mounted police presence is effective in crowded areas since the cops can keep a better watch on the people atop a horse and can venture into areas that are inaccessible for police vehicles, said police sources. “They can ride till the edge of the beach, close to the water. This cannot be done with the vehicles – that’s the biggest advantage of horses,” said a source with the mounted police.
The mounted police have 10 serviceable horses that are currently being used for patrolling. Four of them are used for beach patrolling while six others are used to patrol other locations in the city.
The street patrol unit mostly traverses the congested alleys and residential areas, which cannot be reached using four-wheelers.
The squad had recently inducted five ‘Trooper A’ horses trained by the Indian Army. The thoroughbreds from the Army’s Remount Veterinary Corps in Uttar Pradesh, were brought to the city on April 10. Upon completion of training, they will be officially inducted into the team and be used for patrolling.
The number of patrol teams will be increased and more routes will be covered once the new horses are inducted, said police sources. “The police horses can cover a minimum distance of 10 km daily and their presence at night time sends a strong message,” the sources added.
The mounted wing’s actual sanctioned strength is 25. A full-fledged unit in its zenith used to patrol the length and breadth of the city once. As the number of horses dwindled, the areas covered under patrol also came down.
