It is official – Argyll is the newest horse to join the Hamilton Police Mounted Unit patrol. The name was selected after Hamiltonians sent hundreds of suggestions to the Hamilton Police Service to name the five-year-old Percheron Cross.

Named after The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise’s), Argyll honours the close connection between the Hamilton Police Service and the local regiment.

“We thank the community for their patience as we selected the name, “said Chief Eric Girt. “We were overwhelmed with the community’s response. From our oldest citizens to our youngest, we heard suggestions from across our city.”

Hamilton Police received over 4,000 entries and nearly 1200 unique name submissions. Originally the name was to be announced in late March but the onset of the pandemic delayed the name selection.

Submissions were asked to consider one of the following criteria:

• reflect Hamilton Police Service’s vision, mission and values
• have significance to the Hamilton community
• have a connection to local military heritage
• named after a former Hamilton Police officer

“We’re honoured that the Hamilton Police Service has chosen to name their newest horse Argyll,” said Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Captain Mike Wonnacot. “This is a great example of the relationship between the Canadian Armed Forces and our local emergency services.”

Argyll will join Barron, Griffin, Lincoln, MacNab and RHLI on patrol, before Barron retires from service in late 2020.

The Mounted Patrol Unit was established in January 2010 as an operational police unit and its mandate is to offer high visibility policing, crowd management and active crime prevention in Hamilton. The unit also works closely with the ACTION Team to respond to areas identified by hotspot analysis that require focused proactive patrol.