A photograph of mounted police officers patrolling Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach has left locals fuming.
The picture, posted to Facebook on Thursday, shows two uniformed officers side-by-side on their horses on the beach’s promenade – having left a trail of horse manure behind them.
The issue has previously sparked anger from locals with one resident even confronting then-prime minister Malcolm Turnbull as he walked along the beach in 2018 – telling him Bondi Beach was not a ‘horse toilet’.
A picture posted to Facebook on Thursday shows mounted police officers walking through Bondi (pictured) leaving a trail of droppings behind them
Horses are defined as vehicles when on the road in NSW – which means anyone riding a horse, including police officers, are not subject to the same rules which require pet owners to collect their animal’s droppings.
In NSW, a dog owner can be issued an on-the-spot fine of $275 by council rangers, if they fail to clean up their pet’s poo after them under the Companion Animals Act 1998.
‘Owners must appropriately dispose of dog droppings,’ Waverley Council website states.
Interestingly, horses being considered vehicles on the road means riders are subject to normal road rules such as not using a phone while on a horse, riding on the left side of the road, and having a BAC below 0.05.
Horse droppings left behind by mounted police patrols on the promenade at Bondi Beach
However, horses do have priority on the road and drivers are required to pull over and turn off their engine if a horse becomes agitated until they are a safe distance away, or they could be fined.
Bondi resident Dimitri Moskovich previously complained police horses were regularly leaving droppings on the beach and on the promenade, telling former PM Malcolm Turnbull: ‘We don’t need horses here.’
‘The horses presumably swim between the flags.’ Mr Turnbull replied, trying to ease the tension.
Mr Moskovich was not amused, however, insisting the horses being allowed to ‘sh*t on the sand’ was showing disrespect to residents and tourists.
The NSW mounted unit is based in Redfern in inner Sydney and regularly patrols the city (pictured)
‘You know, that issue has never been raised with me before.’ Mr Turnbull said.
Mr Moskovich, 52, has previously complained to the mounted police unit and Waverley Council – the local government area that covers Bondi.
‘I was telling them the horses should have bags under their bums.’ he said.
Waverley Council staff are understood to be responsible for cleaning up after the horses but locals say it can take up to 24 hours for the mess to be cleaned.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbul (left) was confronted by Dimitri Moskovich (in sunglasses) about the horse manure issue in Bondi in 2018
‘If somebody is using your backyard or your balcony as a toilet you would get upset. It’s really upsetting,’ Mr Moskovich said.
NSW Police previously told Daily Mail Australia that mounted police in Bondi were a positive crime-fighting presence.
‘Mounted police patrol Bondi as part of high-visibility policing and community interaction duties,’ the spokesman said.
‘They venture down on the sand and promenade as that is where they are most visible by the majority of people and the most interaction takes place.
‘This also provides a vantage point, by utilising the height advantage from a horse, to identify any criminal activity.’
A NSW Police Mounted Unit patrol walks along the iconic sands of Sydney’s Bondi Beach
‘In relation to the manure, the mounted unit patrols of Bondi are for a few hours at most once a week and they receive a great deal of community support whilst present.’
The NSW Police Mounted Unit, based in Redfern, has said areas where police horses have been deployed show as visible drop in crime rates which can remain for days afterwards.
Police have also pointed out horse are herbivores, eating only plants, and their manure is sought after by residents to use on their gardens.
‘They aren’t going to do anything about it… But they will give you a fine for a dog sh*t,’ one person previously complained online.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted NSW Police and Waverley Council for comment regarding the horses pictured in Bondi on Thursday.
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