13. POLICE HORSES Description: Law enforcement officers deployed on horses are commonly referred to as “mounted units” or “mounted police”. Intended purpose: Mounted units are deployed at public gatherings for monitoring and information gathering, to serve as a deterrent, to disperse a crowd or to create or support a cordon. Mounted officers are afforded an elevated vantage point, aiding them in identifying individuals engaged in unlawful behaviour. Horses are intimidating, due to their size and presence, meaning that people usually comply with orders given by mounted officers.78 People tend to move out of the way of horses coming towards them for fear of injury, which is why they are used to disperse crowds. According to the UNODC/OHCHR Resource Book on the Use of Force and Firearms in Law Enforcement, horses are used to charge at and disperse groups of people engaged in violence, and mounted officers sometimes also use batons, but the horse must never be used to ride over people.79 Horses are also used to slowly push a group of people in a certain direction. Possible health and/or human rights implications of use in policing assemblies: Mounted law enforcement officers do not have full control over the entire bodies of horses and, thus, cannot at all times control the degree of force used.80 The OHCHR manual on human rights and law enforcement states that there is a risk of serious bodily injury or death if horses are deployed in inappropriate circumstances, while also noting that their mere presence might unnecessarily escalate tensions.81 78 79 80 81 Ibid., pp. 85. Ibid. UNODC, Resource book on the use of force and firearms in law enforcement, p. 86, available at: https:// w w w.unodc.org/documents/justice-and-prison-reform/17-03483_ebook.pdf (accessed on 25 June 2020). Ibid.