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Friday,
August 10- August 24,
2007, #152 (1419)
By Anna Kamushadze Police patrol units on horseback have been introduced to Tbilisi's city parks this summer as part of an effort to look like a more metropolitan and Western capital. Fully armed and uniformed horse patrols have been guarding the peace from four to ten every evening in Mziuri, Vake Park and Turtle Lake. The new patrol units were officially unveiled by Georgia's Internal Affairs Minister, Vano Merabishvili, and the Mayor of Tbilisi, Gigi Ugulava, at Vake Park on July 22. "From this day on, this new form of patrolling will be a tour of duty around Vake Park, Mziuri and the neighboring territories of Turtle Lake. Hopefully, the results will be positive," announced Merabishvili. In its ambitions to join the EU and NATO, the Georgian government is investing in projects to give the country a more Western appeal. European cities combine pedestrianized areas, good transport access, high-quality parks and well-designed public areas to produce attractive streetscapes. Georgia is trying to give its cities a similar feel. A regeneration project was recently completed in Batumi, installing fountains and brightly colored lights around modern walkways in preparation for an expected increase in tourism to the Black Sea. The horse patrol unit is part of an attempt to regenerate Tbilisi. One passerby told the Messenger she is happy to see the new patrols. "When I took my 5-year-old grandchild Giorgi to Mziuri in the evening it was nice to see such beautiful animals. They let Giorgi sit on a horse, which made his day. Now he begs me to take him to the park every evening," she said. The Messenger visited Mziuri at 6 pm to see how the police officers feel about their new role. "Everything is for show in our country and we are too. It's just for two months this summer. In September it will be over," one of them said. One policewoman, Iunona, said she's adapted to the job well. "I've been busy with sports since childhood, so to be on a horse for three hours is not too difficult for me," she said. She is more concerned about the horses, which go six hours at a time without rest and have to cope with difficult surfaces. "In European cities there's sand and grass but here we're working on asphalt and stones, which causes problems for the horses," Iunona commented. The unit currently has ten well-bred English horses-'gifts' from the ex-government, Merabishvili said. There are apparently plans to increase the unit to 20 in the near future. A major part of their role is simply establishing community contact and the public seems happy to see a different police presence and horses roaming their parks. It clearly has advantages over marked patrol cars in terms of liaising with the local community. A patrolling policeman, Soso Edilashvili, agreed that people are pleased to see them-especially children-but also stressed the practical role he was able to play on horseback. "Some places where cars can't go, horses can, so we can access the whole of the park area," he stated. Indeed, Mayor Ugulava stated at the official presentation that the horse patrols would be able to access remote parts of the city like forests and nooks, where crimes are often committed. However, when the Messenger talked with the police, they had not encountered any incidents in the first two weeks of patrolling. "It's quiet and calm here," was the report. They added that there would be little they could do should they even apprehend a criminal, other than radioing for back up. So, if the practical usefulness of the horse patrol is limited, is it just a cosmetic reform? With unemployment at 29 percent and some 54 percent of Georgians living below the poverty line, some observers say it must be considered whether such schemes are really worthwhile. The horses need to be kept year-round, but only work during the summer months, incurring considerable expense. City Hall has not made public the project's cost. "I like them, they look great, but I don't see how they can have any practical function if they can't stop thieves," Nikusha, a student, said. Another Tbilisi
resident, Elene, also enjoyed seeing the horse patrols but suggested,
"In a country where people starve, the government has to address
the public's basic needs, as opposed to doing things for show. The horse
patrol costs serious money. Horses, fountains and other city aesthetics
are pleasant, but they should not be installed at the expense of the
people." |
Tbilisi
police start horsing around
