Mounted police unit set to return to Birmingham after 25 years
Mounted police could soon be based in Birmingham for the first time in more than a quarter of a century.West Midlands Police said a horse team – disbanded in 1999 – could play a key role in fighting crime in city centres and residential neighbourhoods.Officers on horseback have frequently been used in the force area in recent years at events such as football matches, but they are drawn from other forces.A stable block at the force's Tally Ho Training Centre in Edgbaston has been put forward as the base for the proposed unit.
If approved, the base could be operational by the end of the summer, the force said.Recruitment for a sergeant and constables has already begun."Mounted police are being increasingly used at major sporting events in the region and the site is well located as the police horses would be able to walk from the site into the city centre, rather than being transported from other parts of the country," a report to Birmingham City Council said.The force said the proposals would offer a "cost effective method" of policing football fixtures and public events as well as "significantly enhanced visibility and reassurance".The report added: "West Midlands Police have stated that, from a public order perspective, horses have a unique presence which can impact upon crowd dynamics and reduce the risk to the public."Concerns were raised about noise and odour, but the plans stated waste would be regularly removed from the site and there would be no open manure piles.The plans have been recommended for approval, subject to a legal agreement, and will be considered by a city council planning committee on Thursday.
This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.
Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
22 minutes ago
- Reuters
Alcaraz survives Wimbledon scare, Sabalenka serene, but others feel the heat
LONDON, June 30 (Reuters) - Carlos Alcaraz survived Wimbledon's hottest-ever opening day although the Spaniard was far from his sizzling best as he began his quest for a hat-trick of titles with a big scare against Fabio Fognini at the All England Club on Monday. With air temperatures soaring to 32 degrees Celsius, Alcaraz needed more than four hours to subdue veteran Fognini, winning 7-5 6-7(5) 7-5 2-6 6-1 -- the last set interrupted after a spectator became unwell in the heat and required assistance. Women's top seed Aryna Sabalenka, bidding to win Wimbledon for the first time, had no such trouble as she dispatched Canadian qualifier Carson Branstine 6-1 7-5. While five-times Grand Slam champion Alcaraz, who won the Queen's Club title in the build-up, lives to fight another day, several high-profile players departed the men's draw. No arena at Wimbledon gets as hot as bowl-like Court Two and the conditions were clearly not to the liking of ex-world number one Daniil Medvedev as the ninth seed saw his hopes scorched by Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi, who won 7-6(2) 3-6 7-6(3) 6-2. Eighth seed Holger Rune of Denmark, yet to really make his mark at a Grand Slam, won the opening two sets against Chilean qualifier Nicolas Jarry but succumbed 4-6 4-6 7-5 6-3 6-4. Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas, twice a Grand Slam runner-up was left despondent after retiring with a back injury having fallen two sets behind against French qualifier Valentin Royer. Only two defending men's champions had ever lost in the first round at Wimbledon, but there were moments when Alcaraz looked in danger of joining compatriot Manuel Santana on that short list as Fognini rolled back the years. Alcaraz arrived at Wimbledon on an 18-match winning streak, which included a spellbinding French Open final win over Jannik Sinner. But the spark was missing on Monday in front of a Centre Court crowd that included David Beckham. Heat is second nature to Alcaraz, but it was Fognini who flourished in the sun and when he broke serve twice to level the match at two sets apiece a massive shock looked possible. But Alcaraz, regularly using an ice towel to cool down, found an extra gear in the decider and even charmed the crowd by offering his water bottle to the distressed fan. He then led the warm applause for former top-10 player Fognini, for whom this was his final Wimbledon. "I don't know why it's his last Wimbledon because the level he has shown, you know, he can still play three or four more years. It's unbelievable," Alcaraz said of Fognini. Next up for Alcaraz is British qualifier Oliver Tarvet who marked his Grand Slam main draw debut with a superb 6-4 6-4 6-4 defeat of fellow qualifier Leandro Riedi of Switzerland. Tarvet is one of 23 British players in the singles draw, the most since 1984. The home charge was led Sonay Kartal who upset 20th seed and former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko 7-5 2-6 6-2. She was joined in round two by British number one Emma Raducanu who comfortably passed a tricky test against Mingge Xu, one of three British teenaged wild cards to play on Monday. Home hope Jacob Fearnley could not follow suit though as he was outshone 6-4 6-1 7-6(5) by Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca, who showed why he is creating such a stir with some carnival tennis on a steamy Court One. World number one Sabalenka won the opening five games against part-time model Branstine but was given a far tougher workout after that as she moved into round two. The 27-year-old from Minsk missed last year's event because of a shoulder injury and arrived this time with a point to prove after losing in the Australian and French Open finals this year. Several other women's contenders sparkled in the sunshine, none more than 13th seeded American Amanda Anisimova who served up a dreaded 'double-bagel' 6-0 6-0 defeat to Yulia Putintseva. Ukraine's Elina Svitolina beat Anna Boindar in straight sets while 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova continued her return to form by knocking out American 30th seed McCartney Kessler. Australian Open champion Madison Keys, seeded sixth, battled for two hours and 41 minutes to beat Romania's Elena Ruse and played down the impact of the heat. "I think it's funny coming from the States, because this is quite literally a very typical summer day," she said. There was a sad end for Tunisia's twice runner-up Ons Jabeur though as she retired from her first-round match against Viktoriya Tomova because of illness.
Daily Mail
26 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Uncertainty around the inclusion of Jasprit Bumrah only benefits England, writes LAWRENCE BOOTH as mystery surrounds world's best bowler ahead of second test at Edgbaston
The uncertainty surrounding the inclusion of Jasprit Bumrah, the world's best bowler, in Wednesday's second Rothesay Test at Edgbaston has benefited only one team – and it's not India. It felt like a strategical blunder when chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar announced at the pre-departure press conference in Mumbai that Bumrah would play in only three of this summer's five Tests. And it feels even worse now that India are 1–0 down, having lost an apparently unlosable game at Headingley and already used up one-third of his quota. England are occasionally criticised for announcing their side 48 hours before each game, as they did again in Birmingham today when they confirmed an unchanged XI, and no immediate return for Jofra Archer. Critics believe it provides opponents with unnecessary pre-match information, but England like to give their players peace of mind. Since they believe the news will leak out anyway, they are happy to make it public. But for India to go so early on Bumrah has created a psychological micro-climate of its own – with England bouyed the fact that he will play in only two of the remaining four Tests, and India desperately trying to work out what they want from the non-Bumrah games to come. His importance to their chances was clear enough before the first Test, and became doubly so during it. While he collected five for 83 in the first innings to his team-mates' five for 356, his failure to take a wicket in the second left the Indians, predictably, with nowhere to go: England knocked off 371 with ease. Bumrah himself wants to play as many games as possible, but India feel their hands have been tied by the back trouble that flared up towards the end of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia in January. In that series, he was captain for the first Test, while Rohit Sharma was on paternity leave, and for the fifth, when Rohit dropped himself, before quitting Test cricket in May But because India feared another five-match series in England could cause longer-term physical damage to their prize asset, they felt the need to explain why he wouldn't be taking over from Rohit on a permanent basis. Had Bumrah not been in the captaincy mix, India could have managed his summer schedule on the quiet. Instead, they have giftwrapped England a ready-made morale boost. And since Bumrah is as keen as any touring cricketer to play at Lord's, venue for the third Test, it is hard to see how he plays here at Edgbaston. It all meant India's assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate sounded defensive as he suggested that a draw this week in Birmingham wouldn't be the worst outcome. 'We feel we can go 1–1 or keep the score at 1–0 without Jasprit,' he said. 'That's putting the eggs in the back end of the series. We're going to need him at some stage as well. You've got to decide when you're going to play your strongest suit. But the bowlers are very well aware that they need to chip in with wickets.' England have opted not to select Jofra Archer as they have selected an unchanged side To add to the sense that India's primary concern is to avoid going two down, ten Doeschate also referenced a mixed weather forecast, with rain possible on the first, fourth and fifth days. And he suggested that, while the inclusion of a second spinner was likely, the need for batting depth would favour the off-spinning all-rounder Washington Sundar ahead of left-arm wrist-spinner – and tailender – Kuldeep Yadav. Meanwhile, Nitish Kumar Reddy, who scored a century against Australia at the MCG, could further strengthen the batting if he replaces Shardul Thakur. Such is Bumrah's value that his likely absence here has sent the Indian brains trust into a spin. England's challenge, by contrast, will be not to get too excited about the prospect of sidestepping Bumrah. 'I think the worry for us would be to focus too much on Jasprit, even though he is a world-class player,' said Chris Woakes, diplomatically. 'They've got guys that can come in and cause us issues.'
The Sun
39 minutes ago
- The Sun
20:30 Wolverhampton - 30th June 2025 Results
Sign up for the inside track, get top tips from Templegate with The Sun Racing Newsletter
