Alliance’s anti-poaching plan

The Countryside Alliance has called for an overhaul of game laws to tackle illegal hare coursing. The problems caused by poachers in the countryside were highlighted by the National Rural Crime Survey earlier this year, where it was revealed as one of the main concerns for farmers and land managers.

The Alliance’s proposals include: • Amending the law to give the police and courts full seizure and forfeiture powers in all cases of poaching under the game laws, in relation to dogs and vehicles. • Amending the law to enable the police to recover kennelling costs from convicted persons. • Extend criminal behaviour orders to enable courts to impose these over wider geographical areas, across police force areas. • Revising sentencing guidelines and ensuring magistrates understand the full gravity of the offence. • Ensuring that in recording crime statistics hare poaching prosecutions and convictions are identifiable, enabling a proper understanding of the scale of the problem and where resources need to be focused.

The Alliance’s James Legge said: “There are a number of things that the Government can do to assist the police and courts in tackling the scourge of hare poaching in rural areas. No one should underestimate the terrible impact this criminality has on individuals and communities. There is a growing consensus as to what needs to be done and it is time the Government stopped paying lip service to the problem and actually take action.

“Our document sets out five clear actions the Government can take and we are calling for all other rural organisations, as well as the police, to come together with us to deliver the changes needed. The time for talking is over.”