Police get new kit to tackle hare coursing in Wiltshire
"It's a game changer for us"
Last updated 6th Oct 2022
Wiltshire's Rural Crime Team have been testing out their new specialist equipment to help stop illegal hare coursing in the county.
In the past they would usually scour places like Salisbury Plain and use local intelligence to help find the activity.
Now they have got some thermal imaging drones and telescopes to make spotting offenders a lot easier.
Hare coursing is a bloodsport where bets are placed on dogs to see which one will chase and catch a wild hare first, is usually streamed online to audiences of thousands across the world.
Criminals gambling on the events have been shown to have links to activities such as major drugs operations and modern day slavery.
As part of these pursuits, violent threats are made towards landowners and tenants as well as damage costing thousands of pounds being caused to crops and property.
Sgt Rob Goacher from the Rural Crime Team said:
"It's a game changer for us. We don't have to rely on looking for physical lamps in the sky.
"We can use our night vision kit on high points and we can see vehicles from a long way away and we can dial other units into the area to catch the offenders"
Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson recently joined the team on an operation to see how the kit will be used.
He said:
"This is a joint effort. This is where the police are representing the community, they are part of the community and we are working with community to make the community safer.
"Until we had this kit, we were blind so we were at a huge disadvantage.
"The Rural Crime Team is much better equipped now and we are going make Wiltshire a hostile environment who conduct all sorts of rural crime"