The north’s most senior police officer confirmed he is considering bringing police horses back to Inverness later this year.
Mounted officers were brought into the Highland capital in December as part of efforts to pacify “mad Friday” revellers on the last Friday before Christmas.
They also patrolled the area around the Caley Thistle stadium the following day when the home team played rivals Aberdeen.
However, their visit to the north brought a mixed reaction from local people, many of whom did not feel it appropriate and considered it an unnecessary expense.
Children at two local primary schools – Dalneigh and Merkinch – were delighted when the police horses visited their schools, but pub landlords and the public were less convinced.
And Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Highland MP Danny Alexander described the controversial move as “expensive anti-riot police tactics”.
Highland and Islands Divisional Commander, Chief Superintendent Julian Innes, said: “It was purely an operational decision taken by me through our normal procedural process months in advance of the festive season.”
And he admitted that he was considering asking for them to patrol the town on the busiest days before Christmas this year.
The chief superintendent said: “The Friday and Saturday before Christmas are the most challenging days of the year for us, particularly in the city.
“Given that we also had the Inverness v Aberdeen match, I thought bringing the police horses to Inverness would give us more officers in the area and increase our visibility, which it did.
“We didn’t change our policing style – it was just different. Some people liked that, others took the view that we didn’t need it.”
He added that he believed he made the right decision.
He said: “The whole package of tactics we used over that weekend seem to have worked well.
“I am considering whether to access the same level of specialist services support this year as I did last year, including the police horses, but the specialist resources are limited and it may be felt that they are needed elsewhere.”
He added that this would also depend on the events being held in the Highlands and islands on the weekend before Christmas.