While the idea was appealing, the reality and statistics quickly put paid to the notion of a Luxembourg mounted police force In response to questions from CSV Mp Serge Wilmes on the matter, François Bausch detailed the reasons why mounted police are not on the cards.
Although Bausch recognised the prestige of police horses, he said realistically it would be extremely expensive to put into motion, to the point that the cost would wipe out any benefits.
Bausch did not provide exact figures, but explained the obstacles linked to police patrols. In addition to a limited field of action of large parks and events, which are infrequent in Luxembourg, horses cannot be mobilised for whole days without interruption. Like police dogs, police horses would not be able to work more than four hours a day.
Beyond the limited help it would provide to officers, a mounted police unit would require the purchase of horses, but also stables, equipment to transport them and their riders, the recruitment of a veterinarian , the purchase of food, and so on. A vast number of constraints that, in addition to the necessary training of both animal and rider, would incur exorbitant costs and could provoke controversy over the use of public funds.
Bausch ruled out the possibility of renting horses from private individuals, saying the police would stick to pragmatic modes of transport such as cars, bikes or on foot.
