Meet the horses working on the frontline with Avon and Somerset Police
Watch Annie Knowlson's report
Avon and Somerset Police officers are on the lookout for new horse recruits to join their ranks.
The force says the officers on horseback play a big part in tackling a range of issues in their communities.
These issues include their recently-launched Operation Telecom, which aims to crack down on drivers using their phone at the wheel.
The mounted section at the force is made up of 12 specially-trained officers and 12 horses. Officers need to be selected and then will undergo a 16-week course.
Sergeant Hannah Clarke from Avon and Somerset Police said: "I think generally there's a perception that the mounted section only go to football matches and deal with public order incidents but that's only part of what we do.
"We go on patrols that cover the entire force and there are intelligence-led patrols and they may be targeting antisocial behaviour, drug dealing, there could be burglary hotspots - things like that.
"Community engagement is probably one of our bigger parts that we play. People often come up to me and say why are you patrolling on a horse, why not on foot or in a car, you wouldn't have come up and spoken to me if I was in a car or on foot."
Road safety is a priority with the mounted team as part of the ongoing Operation Telecom, which aims to improve road safety.
It's a cause close to the hearts of officers at Avon and Somerset Police after their much-loved police horse Rocky died last year after suffering catastrophic injuries when he was hit by a car at 60mph.
More recently, a driver who was using his mobile phone behind the wheel was chased down and stopped by mounted officer Police Constable Pola Sliwa and horse Trinity earlier this month.
PC Sliwa said: "This particular driver, he was clearly using his phone and not paying attention to where he was going.
"We had to make a quick decision, shall we see if we can stop this car which was a challenge due to traffic and the surface.
"But we managed to catch up with him. Upon seeing him he was still on his phone. He's been issued a ticket for using a ticket.
"Trinity was an absolute star and very well behaved so he got an apple after that."
The mounted section is currently on the lookout for new horse recruits.
The horses have to be big and trainable, so they can go into crowds and have a calm temperament to work with people.
They will undergo "nuisance" training where they learn how to deal with being in different situations.
Police Constable Rowan Webber said: "We're preparing our horses for anything that they might see out on the streets so we're ready for anything.
"So we saw the blue mat they were stepping over. That prepares them for different textures so we know they'll walk over anything.
"Then we had the ball, that's teaching them to approach different objects and move even if they're bouncing off their feet.
"And the flags, we'll see lots of advertising banners, protests and football matches we'll see lots of team flags and protest banners so that's teaching them to be comfortable around those things.
"My favourite part of the job is working with the animals, they just make you smile everyday, they do something that makes you laugh every day."