§ Mr. Harry GreenwayTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his Department is doing to support horse watch schemes in all parts of the country; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. JackWe encourage all watch type schemes which involve members of the community helping the police in the fight against crime.
I understand that police forces throughout the country provide assistance to people wishing to set up horse 'watch schemes. For example, there are schemes in operation in areas such as Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Surrey, Suffolk and Northumbria.
In March this year, the Association of Chief Police Officers gave approval to national guidelines which have been drawn up by the British Horse Society. The guidelines provide information on how to set up and run horse watch schemes and have recently been sent to all police forces in England and Wales. It is, however, ultimately for each chief officer of police to decide how to allocate the resources available to him.