Three men have been arrested after a herd of 18 deer were shot dead in a field, West Mercia Police said. The deer were discovered on farmland on the edge of the Wyre Forest in Worcestershire on 4 August. A 59-year-old from Highley, Bridgnorth, a 35-year-old from Cleobury Mortimer and a 22-year-old from Kidderminster were […]

A hare courser has been fined £500 for using a dog to try to catch an animal at Glenrothes Airport. William McPhee was photographed at the aerodrome by a neighbour who saw the dog come within five metres of catching a brown hare. Poaching and hare coursing are offences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 […]

A prolific hare courser and three others were handed fines totalling £2,695 after they were found guilty of trespassing on Lincolnshire land to hunt with dogs. Three men and a 17-year-old were fined in relation to a hare coursing incident at Gedny Hill on December 13, 2017. Aaron Smith, a 24-year-old prolific hare courser from […]

Tens of thousands of pounds is being gambled on illegal hare coursing events being live-streamed across the country via mobile phones, police have said. Landowners have reported a “terrifying” increase in illicit gatherings fuelled by the emerging technology-enabled black market in betting. More than a thousand incidents were reported in Lincolnshire alone during the 2017-18 season, […]

Operation launched to stamp out wildlife crime  An initiative aimed at stamping out illegal hare coursing events and illegal poaching in the Glenwherry areas of Ballymena and Larne, has been launched by Police along with partner agencies and the local community. Inspector Simpson said, “Following concerns raised by local farmers and landowners, local PSNI officers […]

Countryside Alliance Ireland were in Portrush on 20 June to attend the launch of a new leaflet to raise awareness about the Common Skate and to remind recreational sea anglers that it is a protected species in Northern Ireland. Advertising part of the ongoing ‘Watch out for Wildlife Crime’ public awareness campaign by the Partnership […]

Three men have been sentenced (Wednesday 18 January) in connection with hare coursing crimes in the Lothians and Scottish Borders. The men pled guilty to a total of six charges, which took place between December 2015 and February 2016, at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on 19 December 2016. Niall Purves, now 36, of Edinburgh was convicted of […]

#Stoppoachinguk It is about this time of year between now and Christmas that landowners see a rise in the blight of poachers entering their land. Gone are the days of the merry country rogue, the poacher today can be armed with weapons and dogs, use intimidation and violence and are in it for greed and […]

Cumbria Constabulary has become the latest police force to sign up to Operation LEVIATHAN – the multi-agency initiative tackling fish theft and illegal fishing. The commitment creates an important link with other police forces in the North West and provides a huge boost to the fight against fish poaching in the county, which has led […]

A cutting-edge initiative to help tackle fisheries related crime has been launched by the Angling Trust in partnership with the Environment Agency. ‘Angling Alert’ is a web-based communication tool that will provide anglers and the wider public with information on fisheries crime quickly – by text or email. Funded by rod licence income, Angling Alert […]