Wiltshire is 'No place' for hare coursing after four men arrested

Four men have been arrested for being involved with suspected hare coursing - in two separate incidents

Author: Oliver MorganPublished 15th Aug 2024

Four men have been arrested for being involved with suspected hare coursing - in two separate incidents - here in Wiltshire.

They were reported to officers after being spotted with dogs near Ludgershall, and others seen lighting up the countryside at night in Laverstock.

Police say there is 'no place' for the 'brutally cruel' activity - which is illegal.

Rural Crime Tactical Lead, Chief Inspector James Brain said: “There is no place in Wiltshire for those who persist in hare coursing. Not only is it brutally cruel and illegal but often has links to other crimes.”

“In her letter to the Police and Crime Commissioner dated 2 August, Chief Constable Catherine Roper has been very clear about the importance of tackling crime affecting rural communities - with renewed focus on poaching and hare coursing as well as the theft of farm machinery.

“The Rural Crime Team will continue to work very closely with our Burglary Team, Local Policing Tasking Teams and rural crime partners to ensure we have regular and targeted proactive activity to tackle crime affecting rural communities.

“I would like to thank the members of the public who called 999 to report these incidents.”

You can call 101 if you cannot report incidents you wish to tell the police about online.

You can read the Chief Constable’s letter to the PCC on the Force website.

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.