The Charro Police, a force of mounted officers of the law whose uniforms resemble those of traditional charros, or cowboys, is returning to Mexico City.
Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum reintroduced the police force on Saturday, explaining that it will patrol the Alameda Central park and the Plaza Garibaldi, the home of mariachi music and a popular spot for tourists and chilangos alike.
Not only will the Charro Police maintain order and enforce the law, they will also serve as another tourist attraction, Sheinbaum said.
The 30 police officers and their steeds went to work on the weekend. After the holiday season is over, the city will analyze making the Charro Police a permanent fixture.
The force was created in 2002 with 40 English-speaking officers and 30 horses and a mandate to provide some tourist services as well as keeping the peace. But it was disbanded in 2012.
Mexico City Police chief Jesús Orta Martínez added that the mounted police force cum tourist attraction could extend next year to include other areas such as the Chapultepec and Aragón forests.
The city has a stable of 700 horses for its mounted division from which it can draw.
Plaza Garibaldi will be a key focus of the Charro Police.
In September, three men wearing charro attire killed five people and wounded six more in an armed attack, part of a turf war between criminal gangs operating in Mexico City.
Source: Animal Político (sp)
