Police and Crime Commissioner Backs Whole-Force Response to Combat Rural Crime

Wiltshire Police, supported by Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson, is marking the start of National Rural Crime Action Week by launching an intensified, county-wide campaign to tackle organised rural offending.

From hare coursing and poaching to agricultural theft and fly-tipping, the Force is bringing together neighbourhood teams, specialist units, partner agencies and local communities to protect farms, wildlife and rural livelihoods.

“Hare coursing is a brutal, illegal activity that devastates our countryside,” said Philip Wilkinson.

“It’s not merely a wildlife crime—it’s organised criminality that threatens the safety, livelihoods and peace of rural communities. Recent violent confrontations and property damage underline how serious this has become. Current penalties—an unlimited fine and up to six months’ imprisonment—are simply not enough. I’ve written to the Wiltshire Magistrates’ Bench and backed national efforts to strengthen sentencing guidelines.”

“Victims of rural crime deserve justice that truly reflects the harm inflicted.”

Data from September 2024 to February 2025 shows that Devizes accounted for 36% of Wiltshire’s hare coursing and poaching incidents, a 22% rise on the same period to the previous year.

Of 177 offences logged, 64 occurred within the Devizes Neighbourhood Policing Team area, with peak activity recorded on Thursdays and Mondays around midnight, and Saturday afternoons, showing how offenders exploit quiet hours and cross-border routes to evade detection.

Agricultural theft remains concentrated in Salisbury and Warminster.

Each Neighbourhood Policing Team recorded 21% of Wiltshire’s farm burglaries—15 of 72 offences.

February 2025 alone saw 31 theft reports, compared with just seven in February 2024. Offenders continue to target quad bikes, trailers, diesel and high-value machinery worth up to £15,000, inflicting financial and operational hardship on farmers.

Investigations show that 31 of 35 named suspects travelled into Wiltshire from neighbouring forces - Hampshire (7), Gloucestershire (4), Cardiff (4), Kent (2) and Bristol (2) - to commit these offences.

In response, Wiltshire Police has launched 22 dedicated rural crime operations, including three force-wide “Operation Galileo” deployments targeting hare coursing, and three regional “Operation Ragwort” campaigns that stopped over 100 vehicles in March 2025. Since January, five joint actions with Wiltshire Council Enforcement and the Environment Agency have focused on illegal waste-carrying and fly-tipping.

The Force’s Armed Response Unit is routinely tasked to pursue hare coursers and disrupt high-risk confrontations, delivering the rapid, decisive action rural communities expect.

T/Chief Inspector Andrew Lemon is the Tactical Lead for Rural Crime:

“We’re mobilising neighbourhood officers, drones, CID and armed units to hit offenders at every stage.

 “This sends a clear message that rural crime is treated with the seriousness it deserves, and we will not tolerate incursions on our countryside.”

Partnership working has yielded measurable results: 15 vehicles seized, six items of suspected stolen plant recovered, and 22 arrests for poaching—a 500% increase on the previous year.

Over £40,700 in crime-prevention grants has funded equine tagging kits and drone technology, while 156 intelligence submissions have underpinned proactive disruption.

However, the police cannot tackle rural crime alone.

T/Chief Inspector Lemon highlighted the importance of community intelligence:

“We need residents to report suspicious activity as soon as they see it, either online, by calling 101, or in an emergency by dialling 999.

“This information helps build intelligence, target offenders and keep our countryside safe.”

The Police and Crime Commissioner added:

“Together, we are making Wiltshire a hostile environment for rural criminals and organised networks.

“With your support and our determined whole-force policing response, we will defend our farms, wildlife and rural way of life throughout Rural Crime Action Week and beyond.”

Monday 8 September 2025