Rural crime a 'constant anxiety' for farmers - NFU

Farmers and their families are living in "constant anxiety" from the threat of rural crime, the vice-president of the National Farming Union has said.

Speaking at the National Rural Crime Network's conference, in York, Robyn Munt also talked about the immense stress caused by hare coursing.

"In isolated areas, having organised criminal gangs entering properties, causing criminal damage and confronting farmers is incredibly stressful for our members," she said.

Crime and policing minister Sarah Jones told the event police intelligence sharing and the use of drones was the key to combating hare coursers.

Munt described how one farmer was confronted by a gang of hare coursers, who, in a group of up to 30 vehicles, surrounded his farm to harass him and his family.

Another farmer, the conference was told, would be "beeped at" by gangs of hare coursers as they drove past his farm and onto his land, knowing he was isolated and unable to stop them.

She said: "It is done deliberately to scare people and our members are frightened."

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, external, anyone caught hare coursing would face an unlimited fine and up to six months in prison.

Munt said: "It is national and international crime that is happening in our countryside.

"It is great to see some rural policing teams tightening up, but that moves it to areas that haven't experienced it before."

Training police call handlers to fully understand the threat posed by hare coursers, so officers can be deployed quickly, and the use of WhatsApp groups are helping police forces and communities to fight back, Munt added.

"We are seeing rural policing teams using drones and heat sensors to make sure they have the right power on the ground to deal with this, which is a real positive for us," she said.

Jones said hare coursing was "repulsive" and that the government and police forces were doing "everything we can" to stop it.

"Part of the solution is a national specialist intelligence centre, so we can go after these individuals, particularly when they are in organised criminal gangs," she said.

"Part of the solution is more neighbourhood policing, another part is having more technology so we can catch these criminals in the act. We are seeing results and we will continue to bear down on it."

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