North Yorkshire Police officers to crack down on illegal hare coursing
Nearly 1500 hare coursing incidents were reported to police in the last year
North Yorkshire Police have said the main priority for their rural taskforce is to crack down on illegal hare coursing.
It's as there were nearly 1500 incidents reported to police in the county over the last year.
Between April 2020 and May 2021, 1435 reports were made to North Yorkshire Police about the crime.
A staggering 430 of these incidents were reported in Hambleton, 300 across York and Selby, 248 in Ryedale, 144 in Harrogate and 78 in Scarborough.
But officers have warned there could have been more incidents but perpetrators are threatening witnesses to prevent them from contacting police.
Alex Butterfield, Chief Inspector of Specialist Operations for North Yorkshire Police, said: "This is our number one rural crime issue. The season starts around August and September and finishes in March but the issue is that there are probably a lot more incidents not being reported.
"The impact not only from a wildlife crime perspective but for the communities cannot be underestimated. The threats of violence and intimidation can be absolutely shocking to the public."
The force have launched Operation Figaro, alongside national campaign Operation Galileo, to target those participating in hare coursing.
PC Butterfield, added: "It all comes down to geography and environment. The flatter areas in our county will see more incidents and we need to make sure we have an effective response in place.
"These criminals are prepared to travel very long distances, sometimes across the country to pursue what they see as a hobby.
"But we have Op Figaro and that will identify who are our high harm offenders and work on identifying them, tracking them down and disrupting their activities."