SPONSORSHIP is the ‘biggest hope’ of keeping Thames Valley Police’s mounted section alive, the force’s federation chairman has said.

Craig O’Leary told the Oxford Mail that, in the face of serious financial difficulties, the threatened mounted section would have to pin its hopes on support from the public – and possibly the private sector.

The future of the section was first thrown into doubt earlier this year when it was revealed it could be scrapped to cut costs.

Last month Chief Constable Francis Habgood met with members of the section to discuss its future and said that sponsorship was one option that would be explored.

PC O’Leary said: “From my perspective I would see sponsorship as the biggest hope the section has.

“I’ve said before that in times of serious financial difficulty forces have got to cut costs accordingly and this is the ongoing problem that hangs over the unit.”

It is understood that much of the funding the section needs is for wagons to transport the horses.

PC O’Leary said the unit needs at least one but two would be ideal.

The wagons are understood to cost about £250,000.

The federation chairman said that it may be a case of moving beyond the public sector to fund the unit.

He said: “We know the public support the unit.

"I think it’s a case of whether we turn to business and see if they’re prepared to support it.”

When the chief constable met with the section earlier in the year he commended the passion and the value they add to policing but made no promises on its long-term future.

He said then: “[The section] will explore opportunities for using special constables within the team and further funding streams, for example through sponsorship. We agreed that we would meet again in October.”

While PC O’Leary supported sponsorship as a possible funding stream he said he was ‘not entirely convinced’ on training specials to work within the team.

Mr Habgood previously said the mounted section would not be removed before Ascot 2019.