Local MP Graham Stuart has pledged more action to tackle hare coursing in rural areas of Beverley and Holderness after it was revealed that Humberside Police spent 1200 hours combatting the crime in the past year. A review by the force showed over 500 reports of hare coursing activities across the latest season 2017/18, which runs from the autumn harvest until early spring.
Graham has recently teamed up with the Country, Land and Business Association (CLA) to launch a nationwide anti-hare coursing campaign, bringing the cruel rural pursuit to wider attention, demanding better support for police officers tackling the crime, and encouraging more stringent crime recording and sentencing of those who are found guilty.
Humberside Police maintain a good record of responding to hare coursing thanks in part to having specially-trained officers for rural crimes and an expert rural crime solicitor in the Crown Prosecution Service. The force has also signed up to Operation Galileo, a nationwide police campaign to prevent hare coursing by employing preventative dispersal powers, gathering intelligence on known coursing hotspots and bringing regular perpetrators to justice.
Graham is working with the CLA and Humberside Police in order to stamp out the crime at a local level by encouraging residents who are suspicious of coursing activities to report it by calling the non-urgent 101 police number. At a national level, Graham is also lobbying at the highest levels of Government to improve legislation so that police forces can address the crime with more authority. Graham will also be hosting an event in conjunction with the CLA this October in Parliament in order to further raise awareness.
Graham said: “Humberside Police’s latest report into hare coursing shows the scale of this issue across our area, particularly in the vast, arable and flat farmland of Holderness. While the force have a good record on responding to offenders – with 28 dedicated days of action over the past year – they need assistance both from the law and from members of the public.
“At a national level, I am seeking meetings with Ministers at the top of Government in order to improve current legislation that gives proper support to police officers tackling hare coursing. At a local level, I want to support Humberside Police to continue their good work by encouraging residents to be their eyes and ears, phoning 101 whenever they suspect activities related to this abhorrent rural crime.”
CLA North Adviser Libby Bateman said: “It is great to have Graham’s ongoing support as the CLA steps up its efforts to stamp out this crime. We want to see changes to legislation that will increase deterrents for wrongdoers - including vehicle seizure and financial compensation for affected landowners - and improve the incentives for police officers tackling hare coursing by allowing them to reclaim the cost of looking after seized dogs, which current laws do not permit.”
Humberside Police Wildlife, Rural & Heritage Crime Officer, Brandon Ward, said: “With more police officers being recruited into the Humberside Police force, rural areas will benefit from greater cover thanks to the return of 24 hour response officers to stations such as Withernsea. It is good to see Graham, as the local MP, responding to this issue and addressing it on a national level too in conjunction with the CLA.”
