Hare coursing is more common post-harvest and can continue right through to spring. Warwickshire Police is part of Operation Galileo, a national approach to hare coursing with police forces working together to tackle this illegal wildlife crime. They are asking farmers to keep an eye out for the following signs:
- a number of vehicles showing signs of carrying dogs parked in rural areas, on verges, in gateways or near tracks
- people walking along field edges in order to frighten the hares into large, flat open areas of land
- people walking sight hounds such as lurchers and whippets
If you see a crime in action please ‘phone 999 and do not approach the participants. Take a note of car details and try to take a photo. If you do not see a crime in action but suspect that hare coursing has been taking place please ‘phone 101. Warwickshire Police has a dedicated Rural Crime Team to deal with wildlife crime.