Over the past few weeks, significant progress has been made in disrupting and arresting hare coursers at different locations around Wiltshire. Whilst this may seem like low level crime, I'd like to take a moment to explain why stopping this activity is important to our rural communities, and on a wider national and international scale. 

Hare coursing is the recreational activity of many of the organised crime gangs who target farms to steal machinery, vehicles and equipment, which, according to NFU Mutual, cost rural businesses in Wiltshire and Swindon £1.1M in 2023. Hare coursers have no regard whatsoever for the damage that they cause to farmers crops, fences, gates and property generally and can run to thousands of pounds in one night.

A report on rural crime by Dr Kate Tudor from Durham University explains how these gangs are well versed in other types of serious crime such as modern slavery, drug supply and firearms distribution. A number of these criminals are dangerous individuals who have little or no regard for people's welfare or property, this is why they need to be stopped.

Wiltshire Police have adopted a strategy to tackling rural crime which recognises the need to take a whole force approach. Whilst the rural crime team remain the subject experts, it's important that neighbourhood policing teams, drone, dog and response units and, where necessary, CID and armed response units are all on hand when crime is committed in our rural communities.

By taking a more joined up approach to rural crime, I hope our communities have already begun to see the positive results in terms of action, disruptions and arrests. Just recently, I was made aware of a pursuit involving hare coursers in east Wiltshire, where all units were mobilised and arrests were made by our armed response unit. This is the type of response our residents want to see, and it's the type of response which will send a clear message to criminals about what they can expect if they partake in illegal activity in Wiltshire.

And that response extends beyond our borders.

Earlier this week, I joined officers from Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Devon, Cornwall and Dorset in an operation led by Avon & Somerset to conduct high visibility patrols and stops around Bath, south Gloucestershire and north west Wiltshire.

You will be hearing more about the activity of Operation Ragwort over the course of the coming months, but the position of all Police and Crime Commissioners and Police Forces in the south west is clear, we will make our region a hostile environment for anyone who wants to engage in illegal activity.

Whether it's recreational crimes such as hare coursing, which damages crops and causes thousands of pounds of damage, or targeted thefts which can seriously impact rural businesses; through partnership working and intelligence led activity, our mission to disrupt these criminal gangs will be successful.

Published Sunday 27 October 2024