. Officers from the Rural Task Force were called to farmland at Neats Court, Queenborough following a report of suspected hare coursing at 2.15pm on Sunday 6 February 2022. Three men from Essex were located with dogs and carrying catapults. They have all been issued with Community Protection Warnings, meaning if they are found to be committing the same offences again they will face court action. As part of the seven-force collaboration to tackle hare coursing the information will now be shared with other forces meaning they can be prosecuted in other counties. Sergeant Darren Walshaw said: ‘Hare coursing is often committed by people who travel across policing districts to offend so it is important we share information and work closely with colleagues in other forces so we can be effective. ‘This is not a victimless crime, not only is it cruel, those taking part in this illegal blood sport have been known to damage property and become violent when challenged by landowners. We remain committed to working with rural communities to tackle this criminal behaviour.’ -ends-
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