Police step up action to protect against hare coursers

Police have pledged a tougher crackdown on hare coursing gangs after mounting pressure from farmers facing repeated attacks and intimidation.

A package of measures announced by the force includes faster emergency responses, specialist officer training, drone deployment and plans to seize all dogs used in hare coursing incidents. It follows a sharp rise in offences linked to organised criminal gangs operating on farmland. The NFU said the measures marked an important step for farmers struggling with escalating costs linked to criminal damage.

The announcement came during a meeting hosted by Essex farmer Matthew Register, who has suffered more than 200 hare coursing incidents in eight months, alongside assaults and more than £30,000 of destroyed crops.

Rural pressure

Mr Register, who farms near Great Dunmow, said he had been locked in a grain store to prevent him calling police, pinned against a tree, targeted with catapults and knocked from his bicycle.

“It was so valuable for me to speak directly to the chief constable about what I’ve been through,” he said. “The NFU has done some excellent work with Essex Police to get to this stage. This will take time but if these actions come to fruition, we could see real change for the better.”

The meeting was led by NFU vice-president Robyn Munt and attended by chief constable Ben-Julian Harrington; police, fire and crime commissioner Roger Hirst; and local NFU county leaders.

Ms Munt said: “I was shocked to hear about the nightmare Matthew, and other Essex farmers have experienced with hare coursing gangs. Farmers can feel like sitting ducks and our rural communities need better protection.”

Essex Police said emergency calls reporting hare coursing would now be treated with the same urgency as robberies in progress. The force also pledged to ensure specialist units and off-road vehicles were available during peak hare coursing periods. Officers will receive additional training on rural crime powers and tactics. Police also plan to create a Rural Independent Advisory Group to improve accountability and intelligence-sharing with farming communities, said chief constable Harrington.

Wider links

“I am grateful to the farming community for their openness and support. There is a huge amount of willingness to work together to tackle this issue and ensure our farming communities feel safer.”

The NFU says hare coursing is increasingly associated with organised crime, including theft, money laundering, drugs and violent assault. Mr Hirst said: “We now have the framework of a proactive action plan to make a real difference.”

The renewed focus on enforcement comes as new Sentencing Council guidelines aim to ensure courts better recognise the impact of hare coursing on farming businesses and rural communities.