OK, so this is only marginally related to the actual fighting of crime, but it should keep some police horses warm… From the Manchester (UK) Metronews (via Kevin via Spinneyhead), the Manchester police plan to turn a liability, horse manure, into an asset:
Horse dung is set to become the latest weapon in the fight to cut costs at Greater Manchester Police.
The force plans to use the waste collected from its 40-strong team of horses to create bricks, which will be burnt in a specialist furnace to provide heating and hot water for the stables, helping reduce its £1.5m annual energy bill.
Bosses believe the cost of processing the manure and installing the furnace would pay for itself within a few years and are currently seeking funding to purchase the specialist equipment needed.
It turns out that Manchester’s cops may be on the cutting edge of environmental consciousness, at least in law enforcement: they’ve also converted all 1275 of their diesel vehicles to biodiesel. What’s encouraging about all this is that it’s being done as a way to cut costs. And, of course, because there’s nothing like the smell of burning horse manure…
Categories: poop to power, horse, police, biodiesel, Manchester, UK