WATCH as police disrupt more than 50 poachers near Peterborough
Police have disrupted more than 50 poachers over two days on land near Peterborough.
Police rural crime officers linked up with the force’s national air service to track the poachers and then block them in for checks and finger printing.,
A Cambridgeshire police spokesperson said: “On Saturday ( January 17) 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).
He added: "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.”
Police say that in total, 40 individuals were dispersed from the area in the Haddon incident.
The spokesperson said: “They will now be investigated for a number of rural and wildlife offences, including the issuing of Community Protection Warning and Notices.”
The following day, police say they received further reports of hare coursers driving across fields on Main Drove, Little Downham.
The spokesperson said: “The men abandoned their vehicles and attempted to flee, but were tracked and located using police drones and support from the National Police Air Service.
"Four men were interviewed, issued with Community Protection Warnings and notices and dispersed from the county.
"Four lurcher-type dogs were also seized.”
Afterwards, Sergeant Tom Nuttall, from the s Rural Crime Action Team, 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.
He said: "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.
Sgt Nuttall added: “We will continue to take action against those involved, utilising available resources and protecting Cambridgeshire’s countryside.”