Five men reported for hare coursing as dogs and cars seized in Dengie
Essex Police were deployed after several reports of hare coursing on Wednesday
Five men have been reported for hare coursing offences after Essex Police seized four dogs and four vehicles in the Dengie marshes.
Essex Police said its Rural Engagement Team was assisted by local officers and supported by the force's Dog Section and the National Police Air Service (NPAS) helicopter.
They were deployed after the force received several reports of hare coursing on Wednesday 28th October around 8am.
The five men are in their 20s and 30s and are from Basildon, Cambridgeshire, London and Northamptonshire.
They have been reported for participating in a hare coursing event, which is an offence under the Hunting Act 2004.
They have also been issued with community protection warnings, which will remain in place for three years.
Police said the warnings require people to stop specified behaviour.
If they are ignored, the next step is a community protection notice, which can lead to fines or criminal prosecution if breached.
Three other people will be interviewed later about the incident, police said.
Inspector Terry Jacobs, of Essex Police's Rural Engagement Team, said: "Hare coursing can have a devastating impact on rural communities. It causes distress to farmers and landowners, damages land and crops and puts wildlife at risk. We are committed to tackling this criminal activity and pursuing those responsible."
He also said: "We rely heavily on our rural communities being our eyes and ears - information provided promptly by the public enables officers to respond quickly to hare coursing incidents."
He added: "I would encourage anyone who witnesses suspicious activity, particularly vehicles or individuals acting suspiciously around farmland, to report it to us immediately by ringing 999. But please don't put yourself at risk to do so."
Essex Police said its neighbourhood policing teams and Rural Engagement Team continue to work closely with farmers, landowners and rural communities to prevent and disrupt hare coursing and other forms of rural crime.
How to report hare coursing
Essex Police is asking anyone who sees hare coursing taking place to ring 999 immediately.
The force wants as much information as possible, such as a What3Words location, a description of the people involved, vehicle registration numbers and descriptions, and the location and direction of travel.
When police give a reference number, people are asked to put it and the day's date into any WhatsApp groups they are part of.
This means anyone in the area with information can ring police, who can link it to the same incident if relevant.
Police stressed that people should not put themselves at risk.
Anyone with information about a crime can ring 999 if it is an emergency or a crime in progress.
Otherwise, they can report it online, use the force's 24/7 Live Chat service or ring 101.
People can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously, online or by calling 0800 555 111.