11/12/2022 0 Comments Cars 3 driven to win unlocks![]() ![]() Farmers and gamekeepers carry out patrols and are doing “a lot of the leg work” for the police. Often it will only be one car, but with five men and four dogs inside. “Something needs to happen, or someone will get seriously hurt,” Mr Coles said. Earlier this month, footage posted on social media showed dozens of 4x4 cars and dogs zig-zagging across a field chasing hares while police stood by “powerless” to do anything due to the sheer number of people involved.Ībout 100 people were said to have turned up for the illegal event, many of whom were drinking.Īnother video filmed later the same day showed cars being driven through Bedford town centre while the occupants sat on roofs and hung out of windows brandishing dead hares. Rural crime teams are often woefully understaffed and covering huge areas. “If you fine someone like that, £1,000, then it is not a deterrent. “There have been cases over the last couple of years where police have caught up with them and found £20,000 in cash in the car,” Mr Coles said. Under current legislation hare coursing, or poaching, is a minor offence which can be dealt with in only magistrates courts and carries a fine of up to £5,000. Previous offenders have been linked to guns and drug networks. However, those involved are often part of organised criminal gangs. They try to ram your vehicle and would think nothing of aiming the catapult at you.” Paltry fines ‘an occupational hazard’ ![]() But at night, their behaviour is a bit fruitier. In the day, you can generally spook them, and they move on. “During the evening, they tend to be more violent. They don’t even take the carcasses, just rip the heads off and leave the rest of the bird. They bet on how many birds that they can shoot. “They bring catapults with them and they start targeting the pheasants in the trees. “Sometimes you will come in and find a half alive deer in the field where they have set the dogs on it, it is animal cruelty,” he said. ![]() Whilst the “brazen” coursing largely happens in broad daylight, the poachers often stay out for the evening and this is when they become more aggressive, Mr Coles said. ![]() He is forced to conduct regular patrols of the estate he manages and recently hare courses have been in the area at least three times a week. Mr Coles, from Cambridgeshire, said that hare coursing and poaching have been a problem “forever”, but that the criminals have come “back with a vengeance” in the wake of the pandemic. Just last month, officers were filmed standing by and watching because of the sheer number of people involved.Ĭountryside campaign groups are calling for immediate action from the Government to toughen up the law by increasing penalties to include custodial sentences, and to allow for the confiscation of dogs and vehicles. The chase is often live streamed on the dark web, where it is alleged that betting syndicates as far away as China put money on which dog will win the chase.īut whilst the illegal activity is bringing in huge sums of money for organised crime syndicates, the law as it stands means that those responsible only face a fine of up to £5,000.Īlongside the paltry penalties, rural police forces do not have the manpower to tackle the issue. They drive onto a private field and set their dogs after a hare or, increasingly, a deer. “They are laughing at us because the police are powerless to stop them,” Edward Coles, a gamekeeper, said after another day patrolling his estate looking for criminal gangs leaving a trail of “destruction”. ![]()
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