To reduce youth crime in Australia’s Gold Coast, police have been employing the novel approach of using horses to break through to young people and start them on a journey of improving their life trajectory.
Senior constable of the child protection and investigation unit (CPIU) Craig Andrew said while this program doesn’t teach participants to ride horses, it requires them to learn horsemanship skills such as grooming, caring and leading the horses through a series of manoeuvres.
“After completing the course, parents, carers and schools report less conflict at home and improved school attendance and engagement,” he said.
Individual participants are matched to each animal depending on the horse’s personality. (Queensland Police Service)
Andrew has been driving the Horses Helping Humans program since Oct. 2021….