What is hare coursing and what impact does it have?

In January, about 25 speeding cars, reportedly driven by men in balaclavas, swept through Cambridgeshire farmland, leaving a trail of chaos and destruction behind them. They were allegedly there to engage in hare coursing. But what is it and what impact does it have on communities?

Hare coursing is the illegal pursuit of hares by dogs, which are judged by how closely they can follow the twists and turns of the animal as it tries to escape. It is usually accompanied by gambling. When trespassing is involved, it can lead to the disruption of crops and damage on farmers' land.

After meeting farmers and people in rural communities, Richard Fuller, Conservative MP for North Bedfordshire, introduced a private members' bill in 2022 to tackle hare coursing.

He said: "Hare coursing is one of those where people in isolated communities feel absolutely helpless. They know there is no way police can get to them in time to assist them."

New legislation introduced in 2022 had helped reduce the level of hare coursing, but had not eliminated it, he added.

He believes more investment is needed to tackle the issue using surveillance and drones, which would "give farmers and people in villages some comfort that their communities aren't going to be wrecked by mobs".

On Saturday 25 January, Cambridgeshire Police received more than 40 calls related to reports of hare coursing incidents across the county.

It said incidents occurred in Fordham, Ely, Prickwillow, Littleport, Welney, Chatteris, Manea, Wimblington and Doddington.

Two on-call Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service crews were training near Forty Foot Bank in Ramsey at the time. They were involved in an incident with a group of people in a number of vehicles, resulting in damage to a fire engine and equipment.

Days after, a public meeting, attended by councillors and Conservative North East Cambridgeshire MP Steve Barclay, was held in Manea where the county's chief constable Nick Dean apologised for what he said was "a failure by the police".

In a statement after the incident, Supt Ben Martin said the force was not able to do more to stop the activities.

He said: "Due to the scale of the incident and multiple locations where offences took place, as well as significantly demanding weekend elsewhere in the county, we didn't have the resources available to deal with every report we received from members of the public."

According to insurance company NFU Mutual, Cambridgeshire was the fourth worst affected county for rural crime in 2023 at a cost of just over £2m.

Rural crime falls into four categories: agricultural, equine, wildlife and heritage, including machinery thefts, property damage, and hare coursing.

So far, Cambridgeshire Police has arrested 33 men from all over the country on suspicion of violent disorder and attending a hare coursing event.

All have been released on bail and are expected to return to Thorpe Wood Police Station in Peterborough.

Cambridgeshire Police said hare coursing and associated anti-social behaviour could cause "misery" for rural communities.

The force said: "Combatting it is a priority for our Rural Crime Action Team who work tirelessly to bring people to justice who take part in this barbaric crime.

"We will continue to work with local farmers and partner agencies to tackle the problem."

Commenting on the incidents, Mr Fuller said: "The experience in Cambridgeshire showed that hare coursing is not some sort of incidental event that doesn't affect wider communities."

Hare coursing was made illegal under the Hunting Act 2004, which made it an offence to hunt wild mammals with dogs.

Anyone who participates, attends, facilitates or permits land for a hare coursing event is committing an offence.

Under legislation introduced in 2022, anyone caught hare coursing would face an unlimited fine and up to six months in prison.

In 2023, about 30 offenders were sentenced for trespassing in pursuit of hares with dogs, with 75% of these people receiving a fine between £250 and £500.

Matthew Latta, who has farmed at Sutton Gault, near Ely, for about 30 years, said what he witnessed in January was "like a scene out of a Wild West movie".

While he has stepped up security, he said hare coursing happened on a weekly basis and all the costs came out of his own pocket.

At harvest time, he said, he would have fewer crops than hoped for and would have to "suck up that loss".

Since prizes are awarded for the best dog during a hare coursing event, he said taking somebody's dog away would be the biggest deterrent to help stop the activity.

However, he said the level of threat and violence farmers faced rose each year.

"It's just another one of the many negatives... the grief we face with hare coursing, the grief we face with the ever-changing weather and extremes coupled with the pathetic returns; it does make you wonder 'what's the point?'

"We don't mind working hard, but why should we have to do all that and be threatened at the end of the week?"

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