POLICE are pledging to crackdown on wildlife crime as autumn traditionally sees a spike in poaching and hare coursing.

The seasonal trend of illegal hare coursing matches the farming calendar, meaning there is typically an increase in September and October, after crops have been harvested and fields are left empty and open.

North Yorkshire Police have joined Operation Galileo, a national campaign, pioneered by Lincolnshire Police which brings together forces particularly affected by this offending.

They will work together to ensure to tackle incidents in a co-ordinated way, by sharing information and working across force boundaries.

As part of the operation in North Yorkshire, vehicles previously linked to poaching will be identified and targeted and days of action will be planned using officers and specialist resources from across the force.

The Northern Echo:

Hare coursing involves letting dogs chase and kill hares Picture: Pixabay.com

Inspector Jon Grainge, of North Yorkshire Police’s Rural Taskforce, said: “All too often, offenders involved in poaching are also involved in other aspects of criminality, and landowners who suffer from this activity are often victims of other offences.

"Landowners often report threats of violence or intimidation being made by offenders if they are challenged, leaving them feeling especially vulnerable to further crimes, such as theft or criminal damage."

He added: "Officers are working hand-in-hand with local communities. We rely on residents to call in suspicious activity, and we will take such reports extremely seriously.

"Illegal poachers will find it extremely difficult to enter and leave North Yorkshire unchallenged.”

In the 12 months from August 2016 to July 2017, there were 1,561 reported incidents of people poaching in North Yorkshire, with the worst-affected districts being Hambleton and Selby.

Between August 2017 and July 2018, Hambleton and Selby again suffered the most incidents, but a concerted effort to tackle the problem, and some adverse weather conditions, reduced incidents to fewer than 1,000.