Police officers on horseback were involved in a frantic chase on the streets of Dubai, before three men were arrested on charges of burglary.
Capt Youssef Muhammad Al Mulla and First Lt Ahmad Rashid Al Kaabi spotted the three men in a car, in Rashidiya.
The vehicle was being driven very slowly, in a suspicious manner, police said in a press release.
“They ran the number plate in the federal traffic system to check its status,” said Maj Gen Muhammad Issa Al Adhb, director of the Dubai Mounted Police.
"The car description and number plate did not match the data recorded in the system and the officers decided to pull the car over for a further security check.”
In an attempt to avoid arrest, the driver sped off and the officers gave chase.
They informed the police command and control centre, which issued an alert to other patrols and the men were arrested.
“Officers arrested three Asians, and seized four vehicle plate numbers, tools used in burglaries, and 29 bottles of alcohol that were in their possession," said Maj Gen Al Adhb.
He said the men were planning to break into several houses.
Maj Gen Khalil Ibrahim Al Mansouri, assistant commander-in-chief of the Criminal Investigation Affairs department, praised the officers for their quick action.
“They were able to monitor and track the gang's car until their arrest and seized the tools they were planning to use in thefts,” he said.
The Dubai Mounted Police department was established in 1976 with seven horses, five riders and four horse groomers.
Today it has more than 130 Arabian and Anglo-Arabian horses, 75 riders and 45 groomers. Not all horses are used for patrolling. Many are used for crowd control, where they are required to help guide the movement of people from one area to another.
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