Police response to hare coursing report leads to two arrests for suspected pheasant killings

Police response to hare coursing report leads to two arrests for suspected pheasant killings

At around 5pm last night (29 September), District Policing Team (DPT) officers were deployed to reports of people trespassing on land in Upton Grey, with fears that they were hare coursing.

Attending officers located two people in the area sat in a Honda CR-V – a 19-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy, both from Surrey – and upon searching them and the vehicle police seized two catapults and some ball bearings.

They were both arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon, and daytime trespass in pursuit of game (poaching) due to suspicions that they had been involved in a poaching incident in the same area just two days prior whereby 10 pheasants were killed.

Our investigation into these incidents continues and both teenagers have been bailed with conditions, including not to return to Hampshire, until 29 December while we conduct further enquiries.

Rural crime is a priority for us, and teams including DPT, our rural crime taskforce, and neighbourhoods officers actively work together to patrol rural spaces and respond to calls that come in.

If you see a crime in progress, dial 999.

You can report information about rural crime or suspicious people and vehicles to us by calling 101 or reporting via www.hampshire.police.uk

If it’s safe to do so, make a note of as much detail as you can including registration numbers and descriptions of vehicles, people, and whether they have dogs or catapults with them, for example.

You can also talk to the independent charity Crimestoppers 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111, and via their anonymous online form at crimestoppers-uk.org

If you have a business connection to the rural environment in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, download the EyesOn app which enables you to provide information directly to police, and also stay up to date on rural policing issues through news alerts: https://eyesonapp.com/download/