Since 2018 Graham has worked hard to tackle the scourge of hare coursing. Hare coursing is an illegal activity in which criminals set their dogs loose to chase, catch and kill brown hares across open grassland and arable land. Online bets are placed on the outcome of the hunt and how many times the dog can force the hare to change direction. Those involved often have links to wider criminal activity, including theft, criminal damage, drugs and firearm offences.
Following his work alongside a range of organisations, including the Humberside Police, the Hare Coursing Coalition and the Country Land and Business Association, Graham was very pleased when police were given new powers to tackle this problem when the Police, Crime, Sentencing Act 2022 gained Royal Assent. As a result, there are now five key legislative improvements to discourage hare coursing: fines are unlimited, the offender may have to pay the police for the cost of kennelling their dogs during the investigation and trial, the power to ban offenders from keeping dogs, the offence of ‘going equipped’ and the offence of ‘trespass with intent’.
