Operation Galileo: Fighting the poachers operating in Dorset
Earlier this week, I went out with the Rural Crime Team on Operation Galileo to target hare coursers in Dorset’s countryside. We are lucky to live in such a beautiful county but with our rurality, comes a unique set of challenges for Dorset Police.
Officers were sent to patrol known poaching hotspots in different areas of Dorset, acting as a deterrent to criminals that operate in those areas. After many conversations with residents of rural villages, fighting rural crime became a priority of my Police and Crime Plan in 2021 and remains a key focus.
This priority has ensured more resources were made available to help increase the capacity and capability of the Rural Crime Team, and I am proud of the results achieved such as the 25% reduction in poaching over the past four years.
Whether it be fox hunting, hare coursing or poaching, all wildlife crimes have a considerable detrimental impact on the animals who suffer at the hands of perpetrators, but there is also a cost to farmers who have to deal with the associated criminal damage that is committed in conjunction, with the crime.
Fields are destroyed by reckless driving, fences and gates are knocked down to gain access and in some cases, farmers have been verbally and physically threatened in defence of their land.
But thanks to the continued commitment of Dorset Police’s dedicated officers, several prosecutions have been made in recent years with more charges currently in process.
This should send a clear message to the criminals looking to operate here; rural crime is not tolerated in our county and Dorset Police will do all they can to bring perpetrators to justice.
Policing the countryside is resource intensive, time intensive and costly. The 10 worst funded police forces are all rural, including Dorset. But I’ll continue to do all I can to change that and lobby the Home Office for changes to the perverse funding formula so we receive our fair share and maintain progress.
I also encourage others to report information you may have about of any rural crime This can be done on the Dorset Police website. If you see something suspicious, you can also call 101. But if you witness poaching in progress, please call 999.
David Sidwick
Police and Crime Commissioner