Mounted policeman on Benneydale beat
Being a sole officer in a King Country town means Senior Constable Bill Eivers can do his patrolling on horseback.
It has a double purpose – his 17-yearold chestnut mare Ali gets fit and the Benneydale cop gets a good snoop in.
‘‘I can see into everyone’s back gardens and everyone knows I can, so I am hoping it has a deterrent effect, especially in the spring and summer.’’ He’s one of the few mounted police officers left in the country.
The last two official police horses were retired in 1953.
Since then, mounted officers have been used only occasionally – particularly for crowd control and for patrolling large parks and open areas, said Rowan Carroll, the director of the New Zealand Police Museum. That’s mainly what Eivers and Ali do – they patrol events such as the Fieldays and A&P shows. ‘‘Before we started at the Fieldays, they were getting in excess of 25 to 30 thefts from cars each year. When we started patrolling in 2011, it decreased to one reported theft,’’ Eivers said. ‘‘You do have to be pretty vigilant, as there is always someone who thinks it’s funny to poke a stick into the horse’s rump. But generally speaking, she’s really well received.’’ There are quite a few advantages. ‘‘We can chase people out, especially at the Fieldays. You are in the car park because you are either coming or going – you shouldn’t be in there loitering unless you are waiting for someone. And those people stand out.’’
Having been a police officer for 25 years, Eivers can spot suspicious behaviour a mile off.
‘‘I haven’t arrested anyone while on horse patrol, but I have detained people while the guys on the four wheelers arrive to get them.’’
Eivers just has the one horse, Ali, whose bloodline dates to 1918, when his grandfather was breeding horses. When she’s not being used for patrolling, Eivers uses her for trekking. He’d like to see horses more widely used, as they are a good crime deterrent as well as extremely good PR for the police – everyone loves an animal.
Horse patrols would be particularly good during summer at the beach.