Police crack down on poachers
Police and community watch groups are making a breakthrough in the fight against poachers on East Riding farmland.
A high-profile campaign to crackdown on illegal hunting of wild animals with dogs has led to the successful prosecution of gangs of poachers.
Officers are now stepping up the campaign in the run-up to the harvesting season, when fields are cleared of crops, which is a peak time for the cruel sport.
It comes after a gang of poachers were each fined £350 with £150 costs for hunting hares with dogs when they appeared at Bridlington Magistrates' Court.
The police helicopter was used to film the four men, from the Hartlepool area, releasing their dogs and chasing the hares on farmland at Wetwang, near Driffield.
Members of Driffield Neighbourhood Policing Team and Driffield and Rural Farmwatch joined forces to track and arrest the gang of poachers.
Police say it is the third successful prosecution in the past year for hunting illegally with specially bred lurcher dogs in that area of East Yorkshire.
Driffield-based Sergeant David Jenkins said: "We are getting the breakthrough that we wanted but there is still a lot to be done in the fight against poaching.
"But the last court success was a good result for Farmwatch, the rural community and the police.
"It sends a message that the fantastic relationship that the police have developed with rural groups is working and people who hunt wild mammals with dogs in the East Riding will not be tolerated.
"We are prepared to use all the tools available to us, like the helicopter, in our efforts to prevent, detect and deter poaching and other rural crime."
Gordon Calvert, Driffield Farmwatch co-ordinator, said: "The latest case is a brilliant example of what we can achieve when we work in partnership."
Anyone with information about poachers on farmland should call police on 0845 6060222.
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by Arthur, Ezzle Road
Sunday, July 05 2009, 9:15PM
“Nice to know someone reads my postings Graham...”
by Amazed, 'Ull
Sunday, July 05 2009, 6:46PM
“Some people on here make me laugh. The Police should be out catching the "real" criminals blah blah blah. People have such double standards. How many have you have broken the speed limit? Gone through a red light? How many of you have been given too much change from the barman/shop keeper and thought result and not given it back because "they get enough out of me already"? Because that's theft! People on here and in this country seem to believe that they have the right to pick and choose which laws suit them. Don't get me wrong, i think that we should target the more serious cases, but the law is the law, as crap as it is!”
by Lucy, Beverley
Sunday, July 05 2009, 5:29PM
“As I've said before, people who are cruel to animals are also cruel to children behind closed doors. If not yet, then they will do it sooner or later.
If you think it's ok to rip animals apart then you think it's ok to beat up kids, it's the same scumbag mentality.”
by Nelly, Hull
Sunday, July 05 2009, 4:08PM
“Peter I agree with you if these scallywags are as you say involved in other crimes while on their poaching mission then you need to have the police to attend. Yes we do have cctv everywhere these days and the reason we do is because of the amount of crime we have to endure thanks to the do-gooders/PC crowd who insist the criminals have more rights than the people they rob ,cheat and so on.The police do a fantastic job in catching them but the judges slap their wrists and off they go to commit more crimes . As for taking away their cars....they"ll just get another ,you know that. !”
by Graham, Hull
Sunday, July 05 2009, 2:10PM
“" And of course illegal immigrants and other people we dare not mention because of the politically correct bullocks."
could have fooled me! ,everyday you mention them.”
by Peter, Somerset
Sunday, July 05 2009, 1:29PM
“Nelly, what you fail to understand but the police do is that these low life poachers are into other crimes such as mentioned by you. In Hull I expect you have CCTV everywhere to assist the police - this luxury is not available in rural areas so a helicopter is therefore justified - the police know that their prize will not just be a poaching offense.
I assume you have enough intelligence to know that if a landowner took a pot shot at a poacher, the landowner would have far more to lose - that I am afraid is a schoolboy remark.
I dont want to widen the gulf between Town and Country but in reality the town people are better protected than animals and humans in the country...
I agree with a poster concerning fines/jail sentencing - we do need to overhaul our judicial process - what is the point of handing out fines that generally in the long run are paid from their benefits and ultimately by tax payers. As I said before - hit them where it really hurts - take away their means of poaching.”
by vigilante, .
Sunday, July 05 2009, 12:39PM
“Hang em', give them a taste of their own medicine.”
by Nelly, Hull
Sunday, July 05 2009, 11:29AM
“Peter I am real,Im not condoning scallywags who course hares and deer ,but cannot see why the police are using such expensive methods to stop a bit of poaching (who owns these hares anyway).We have Murderers ,rapists, theives,child abusers,violent drunks, burglars and many other crimes to sort out first. Why worry about a few damned hares?? Let the land owners sort them out with a bit of leadshot up their backsides,you cant expect the use of helicopters just to sort out a few guys doing what man has done for millions of year,priorities come first!”
by Arthur, Ezzle Road, 'Ull
Sunday, July 05 2009, 9:46AM
“Slippery Sid has a very good point ."it's the junkies on the rob,the scum robbing our elderly mothers and the car thieves the old bill need to be concentrating on" And of course illegal immigrants and other people we dare not mention because of the politically correct bullocks.
And don't just have a swipe at the police, it's the courts who are the real villains, coppers find criminals, prosecution do their bit, then the slippery defence lawyers spin a load of old cobblers because "it's their job to get them off". No it isn't, it's the defence lawyers job to argue the defence, if they have none then tough. On topof all that we have "liberal" judges who are leant on by the Home Office because the jails are full.
Poachers? This rotten government and it's politically correct cronies/hangers on couldn't poach an egg!”
by Steve, Hull
Sunday, July 05 2009, 9:01AM
“What the difference between a poacher and a landowner organized group hunters, one has permission to kill and the other does not thats all. Now geroff my land ya pikey or i will set me dogs on ya.”