The Cavalry department

The Cavalry department has always been integrated in the General Reserve of the Federal police. Its main task consists in supporting the local police services for community policing missions, either during special events (football matches, fairs, processions, etc.) or within the framework of security plans related to specific crime phenomena (horse patrols to fight specific nuisance or to prevent vandalism, damage, burglaries in residential areas, etc.).

Those missions are carried out on the whole Belgian territory and can last one or several days. The type of support provided by the Cavalry department has changed considerably. The cavalry is, and rightly so, more and more considered as a carrier of information: it brings visibility and makes real community policing possible. From now on, the Cavalry department wishes to focus its efforts on this latter aspect while adopting the concept of “policeman on horseback” rather that of cavalryman.

In addition to those missions, the Cavalry department regularly takes part in public relations activities organised by various internal or external partners (police zones, federal units, secondary schools, etc.), for instance by promoting the police services for recruitment purposes.

Finally, the Cavalry department encompasses the Royal Mounted Escort, Belgium’s last mounted unit since the motorisation of all the other military units. The Royal Mounted Escort carries out prestige missions; it does not perform police missions in the strict sense of the word. It is nevertheless composed of horses and horsemen assigned to normal missions, but who wear specific uniforms and are equipped with special items for the occasion, and are accompanied by a mounted drum and trumpet corps. The Royal Mounted Escort accompanies the monarch on official occasions (national holiday, royal weddings, etc.) as well as every month, when the King receives the letters of credence of new ambassadors.

Composition

In order to carry out its missions, the Cavalry department may rely on about 200 members of the staff, policemen or civilians, who are in charge of operational tasks as well as of purchasing, training and managing horses. Moreover, the department is composed of a few blacksmiths and is also in charge of the internal basic training of the future cavalrymen. It is based in the “Géruzet” and “de Witte de Haelen” complexes of the Federal police in Brussels.

Tasks

Royal Mounted Escort. Surveillance horse patrols. Cavalry involvement in law and order tasks. Friendliness and public relations activities. Support to training by participating in common exercises with the infantry.