Police disrupted more than 50 suspected poachers and hare coursers during a weekend enforcement operation across rural Cambridgeshire.
On Saturday 17 January, officers received multiple reports of men and children trespassing with dogs on farmland near Haddon Road in Haddon. The group was reported to be causing damage to fields and to vehicles using nearby roads. With support from the National Police Air Service (NPAS), the force’s Rural Crime Action Team tracked the group as they moved through woodland close to the A1(M).
Roads were temporarily blocked to contain the group, who were detained and identified using fingerprint recognition technology. Several vehicles and items linked to poaching activity were seized. In total, 40 individuals were dispersed from the area and are now being investigated for a range of rural and wildlife offences, including the possible issuing of Community Protection Warnings and Notices.
Further reports were received on Sunday 18 January of hare coursers driving across fields on Main Drove in Little Downham. The men involved abandoned their vehicles and attempted to flee on foot, but were located using police drones and additional NPAS support.
Four men were interviewed, issued with Community Protection Warnings and Notices, and dispersed from the county. Four lurcher-type dogs were also seized as part of the operation.
Sergeant Tom Nuttall, from the Rural Crime Action Team, said: “Tackling poaching and hare coursing remains a priority for us as a force and we are committed to working closely with our partners and local communities to address these issues.
“Hare coursing and associated criminality including threats, criminal damage and even violence, can have a real impact on our rural communities. These activities not only harm wildlife and the environment but also cause distress to landowners and residents.
“We will continue to take action against those involved, utilising available resources and protecting Cambridgeshire’s countryside.”
