Horseback volunteers gathering intel to tackle rural crime in Dorset
Efforts to protect Dorset’s rural communities have intensified
Volunteers on horseback are working with Dorset Police’s Rural Crime Team, providing intelligence and information to protect local rural communities.
The ‘Dorset Police Rural Mounted Volunteers scheme’ is a project the police and crime commissioner was keen to launch and is now “really pleased” to see come to fruition.
Similar to Neighbourhood Watch groups, the horseback volunteers will be the eyes and ears for rural communities.
They’ll be patrolling bridleways, lanes and country roads, gathering intel and reporting anything suspicious.
With their elevated positions on horseback, volunteers will have “a unique vantage point” and spot things someone on foot or in a vehicle might not be able to see.
Dorset’s Police and Crime Commissioner, David Sidwick said:
"I look forward to seeing the scheme expand and encourage anyone with a horse who wants to support police in their communities to get involved.
“This is just one more weapon in the armoury when it comes to taking the fight to the criminals who plague our countryside.”
Hopes are the mounted rural volunteers will help further connect the Dorset Police Rural Crime Team with the communities they serve and improve visibility within our rural communities.