Task Force addresses hare coursing reports, seizes dogs and vehicles in Hampshire
Police continue efforts to combat rural crime
The Country Watch Rural Crime Task Force, supported by neighbourhoods policing, is actively responding to hare coursing reports across Hampshire.
On the evening of 27th February, the Task Force patrolled the county after receiving two calls about suspected hare coursing activities.
The first report was from the Preston Candover area, where Task Force officers, aided by Basingstoke officers and the NPAS helicopter, arrived to find suspected coursers fleeing the scene, leaving behind a dog which was then seized by the police.
Around Odiham, individuals were believed to be trespassing for coursing but had left before the officers arrived.
In the early hours of the following day, a report from Bentley resulted in the discovery of an abandoned lurcher-type dog, which was taken to a vet for care. Police are following up on inquiries related to this situation.
Later, on the afternoon of 28th February, Task Force officers attended East Worldham concerning coursing activity. No offences were confirmed as individuals with dogs were asked to leave by the landowner.
However, reports returned that night indicating suspected coursers were on the land, but the search yielded no results.
Earlier in February, a Subaru Legacy was confiscated from private land near Dummer after abandonment; occupants were suspected of hare coursing on 18th February before leaving the stuck vehicle on foot with dogs.
Recently, on 10th March, police found an abandoned van in Ropley with damage and a dog cage, potentially linked to coursing.
Officers continue to patrol Hampshire's vast rural spaces, seizing dogs and vehicles connected to poachers and proactively stopping suspicious individuals and vehicles in the countryside.
Authorities urge anyone witnessing abandoned vehicles or suspicious persons with vehicles or dogs on farmland to report it to the police.
Immediate reports can be made via 999, while information that may aid police inquiries or patrols can be submitted by calling 101 or using the report tool at www.hampshire.police.uk .