By Dawar Naeem
Dawar is a community journalist with the Focus Media Arts Centre

Sgt. Alan Spratt of the Toronto Police Mounted Unit along with his unit was responding to call by the 51 Division of Toronto Police to assist them in locating an 80-year old, missing person in Regent Park.

As the Mounted Unit of Toronto Police reached the Regent Park community accompanied by four horses of the Mounted Unit, they received a communication from the 51 Division that the missing person has been located, so the Mounted unit decided to patrol the Regent Park Community.

Regent Parkers, especially families with young kids were all amazed and fascinated by the horses patrolling around Regent Park. A crowd quickly gathered around the Mounted Unit of Toronto Police. Children and their parents were snapping pictures and making videos of the horses. The young children of Regent Park really enjoyed the spectacle.

The mounted unit of the Toronto Police was established in 1886 and now consists of 40 officers and 25 horses. The Unit is housed in the C.N.E. (Canadian National Exhibition) stables.

To become a member of the unit, horses must be large in stature and calm in demeanor. Training takes anywhere from six to 12 months, and includes a sensory component that introduces the horses to different experiences they may encounter while on the job like construction vehicles, sirens and, for some reason, skateboards.

The horses live at the unit's stables at Exhibition Place and are taken out every day for exercise. Once a year, they get two weeks of vacation at a farm where they relax. They retire around the age of 20.

“The horses usually are a brilliant way to interact with the public. Often people are not sure if they should approach a Police officer or not, but when there are horses, the public feels more comfortable.”
said Sgt. Spratt.