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Poachers shoot and steal 200 pheasants
POLICE have begun a hunt for poachers who shot and stole 200 pheasants from an isolated farm near Ramsey.
POLICE have begun a hunt for poachers who shot and stole 200 pheasants from an isolated farm near Ramsey.The night-time raid took place at Rolts Wood, in Upwood, near Ramsey, where the birds are allowed to roam on 50 acres of land.
Detectives say a group of poachers armed with powerful torches and rifles carried out a practice known as lamping, in which each bird is targeted by torch light before being shot.
The incident occurred sometime between January 9 and 16.
No-one at owners Kingswood Farm was available to comment.
Now police have issued an urgent warning to residents and businesses to alert them if they are offered cheap pheasant meat.
Police are eager to hear from anybody who saw any suspicious behaviour in the area as the shootings took place just 100 metres away from Ramsey Road.
Sgt Chris Balmer, from the Cambridgeshire Police Rural Crime Action Team (RCAT), said: "You may be offered meat in a deal that seems too good to be true - if this happens, ask where it came from.
"A legitimate butcher or gamekeeper will be more than happy to tell you.
"If you are suspicious, don't take up the offer and report the matter to the police."
According to Huntingdon butchers T&S Thomas Family Butchers, the majority of meat vendors know better than to buy meat from disreputable sources.
Owner Tim Thomas said: "When we buy pheasant we always buy from a properly authorised shoot by a legitimate shooting syndicate.
"We wouldn't buy anything if we didn't know from where or when it was collected."
Poaching is a major headache for rural businesses, which are constantly at risk from the activities of stealthy poachers and costing many thousands of pounds a year.
Yesterday, The Evening Telegraph reported how police had overseen the crushing of a vehicle that had been used in hare coursing in Peterborough after the conviction of two men under the Game Act.
East of England National Farmers Union spokesman Brian Finnerty said: "Rural crime is constantly ongoing in farmlands around Peterborough and the rest of the county, so we are lucky that we have a dedicated team of police officers to investigate crimes like this.
"But the people in the farms themselves have an increasingly important role to play in ensuring they are not victims of rural crime by becoming the eyes and ears for the police."
Anyone with information about poaching in their area is asked to call Sgt Balmer on 0345 456 4564 or alternatively you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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