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Dear Resident,
Rural crime officers dispersed more than 50 poachers and hare coursers over the weekend.
On Saturday (17 January) police received multiple reports of men and children poaching and trespassing with dogs on farmland just off Haddon Road in Haddon.
The group were causing damage to fields and damaging road users’ vehicles.
With assistance from the National Police Air Service (NPAS), the force’s Rural Crime Action Team (RCAT) tracked the group as they moved through a wooded area opposite the A1(M).  | |
Roads were blocked to contain them, and the group were detained and identified using fingerprint recognition technology. Several vehicles and items associated with poaching were seized.
In total, 40 individuals were dispersed from the area and will now be investigated for a number of rural and wildlife offences, including the issuing of Community Protection Warning and Notices.
On Sunday (18 January) police received further reports of hare coursers driving across fields on Main Drove, Little Downham.
The men abandoned their vehicles and attempted to flee, but were tracked and located using police drones and support from NPAS.
Four men were interviewed, issued with Community Protection Warnings and notices and dispersed from the county. Four lurcher-type dogs were also seized.  | |
Sergeant Tom Nuttall, from the RCAT, said: “Tackling poaching and hare coursing remains a priority for us as a force and we are committed to working closely with our partners and local communities to address these issues.
“Hare coursing and associated criminality including threats, criminal damage and even violence, can have a real impact on our rural communities. These activities not only harm wildlife and the environment but also cause distress to landowners and residents.
“We will continue to take action against those involved, utilising available resources and protecting Cambridgeshire’s countryside.”
Watch footage of the group be dispersed here.
Kind Regards, Annabelle Mullee | 
