For over a decade, the photogenic mounted policewomen of Dalian, a scenic city in Liaoning Province, have been a tourist draw card. A legacy of former mayor Bo Xilai, who is now disgraced and is to be put on trial for corruption, they provide both photo opportunities and law enforcement.

However, when retired traffic cop Zhao Ming, 64, filed an application for information on the costs, personnel and effectiveness of the mounted unit, the legitimacy of these police was called into question.

"Maintenance costs are huge for a mounted team while the budget is very tight, and it's inappropriate for police to be used as decoration when their duty is to secure public safety," Zhao told the Global Times.

The Dalian mounted police unit, the nation's first, was established in 1994. Its main functions include street patrols, parade performances for VIPs, and providing security at important events and expos.

Although Zhao was just suggesting reforms, public debate quickly focused on whether or not to scrap the unit entirely.

An online survey by Sina showed that 61 percent of the 430,000 respondents regarded it as merely a troop of "pretty faces" and supported disbanding it, but many Dalian citizens backed it, citing city pride.

"I like it and it does bring great cultural value to our city, but necessary reforms should be carried out when police forces deviate from their core responsibility," said Zhao.

Cops or photo ops?

"We love them as a name card for our city because they're so pretty and brave. We have every right to decide whether we want to pay and keep them," Zhang Qian, a Dalian citizen, told the Global Times, in comments echoed by many others.

Several other cities including Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, and Baotou, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, have also founded similar mounted teams consisting of beautiful, well-trained female officers, mainly for "patrol and demonstration."

Chongqing briefly set up a mounted team, also under Bo's tenure, but none of these mounted teams have been anywhere near as large as Dalian's.

Yu Futian, vice-captain of the city's police patrol detachment, said that the unit is by no means just a collection of pretty faces, as mounted police have advantages when separating crowds and intimidating and targeting suspects during large-scale events. He also said the officers routinely patrol on motorcycle.

However, doubts have been cast on how many arrests the group has actually made while on horseback. Recent media reports citing comments from officers have indicated one or none, but no formal figures have been made available.

"Dalian is a safe, orderly city and they only patrol the two public squares for an hour each day besides performing with sabres at big events, which make them impractical as police," said Zhao. An anonymous local police officer also hinted to the Global Times that the unit "won't go to narrow places."

Zhao suggested separating the unit's tourism functions from public security duties, and launching a cost-benefit analysis of the unit. "It's too soon to talk about canceling it," he said, adding that "the good news is the city government has been active in interacting with me and the public about this."

Han Fuzheng, a seasoned lawyer specializing in administrative law, told the Global Times that Dalian residents are entitled to more information on this matter to make their own decision, "but it should follow legal procedure and not merely be a whim of leaders."

Murky beginnings

Zhao has been proposing reform within the police system since 2005, questioning whether the unit was established using proper procedure.

"'Mounted police' is not a formal police classification in China, the uniform they wear is also different from the national standard. Also, while they are patrolling, which section of the road should the horses use? All these should be carefully planned and approved by the Ministry of Public Security (MPS), but we didn't see any procedure," said Zhao.

The training base for the unit consists of 30,000 square meters and is a major tourist site in the city. A staff member told the Global Times that the ticket price is 50 yuan ($8.15) per person with extra charges for horse riding, and the policewomen give equestrian performances at 10:30 am and 3:30 pm every day between May and October.

"I took pictures with them for free, and they also teach horse riding," a tourist surnamed Zhu, who brought an online group purchase coupon for 29 yuan, told the Global Times.

However, according to the People's Police Law, police officers are not allowed to engage in business activities. This casts a shadow over the unit's involvement in tourism, and raises questions over how its profits are used.

"The process used to establish the unit is now hard to uncover, but its current operations should be supervised. For example, their uniform was 'specially approved' by the MPS, which is by definition against regulations as the law does not make exceptions," Han said.

Expensive animals

The city's public security bureau made a statement Monday about the issue that most concerns taxpayers: money.

"Currently, the unit has 65 policewomen and 100 horses. The horses are retired British thoroughbred racehorses donated by the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC), and each horse costs around 2,500 yuan ($407.25) per month, including feed, supplies and medicine provided under strict supervision," said the statement from the bureau. In contrast, the monthly salary of the policewomen ranges from just 1,800 to 3,800 yuan.

The HKJC confirmed the donation, and said that it also provides follow-up medical and health care support to the retired racehorses.

A Shenzhen-based horse ranch owner surnamed Chen told the Global Times that 2,500 yuan was the very least it would cost to raise a healthy horse using standard feed.

However, not everyone is convinced. A breeder surnamed Wu at the Knight Union Equestrian Club in Beijing told the Global Times it costs at least 3,500 yuan or up to 7,000 with labor expenses each month to raise a thoroughbred.

In addition, transport fees for the donated horses from Hong Kong came to more than a million yuan, the Beijing News reported. The bureau did not respond queries regarding these costs as of press time.