Hare Coursing Season 2026-2027

Hare Coursing Season 2026-2027

OP GALILEO – HARE COURSING 2026-2027

WHAT IS HARE COURSING?

Hare coursing is a cruel and illegal blood sport involving the pursuit of brown hares using sight hounds or long dogs, typically lurchers, greyhounds, whippets and salukis. The dogs are judged on their ability to chase, turn, catch or kill hares, with successful dogs often worth significant sums of money within criminal circles.

In Bedfordshire and across much of the South-East of the UK, hare coursing is not conducted for food or pest control purposes. It is primarily carried out for entertainment, gambling, status and profit, and is frequently linked to wider criminality, including violence, intimidation, theft, vehicle crime and organised crime group activity.

The national police response to hare coursing is Operation GALILEO.

WHY IS HARE COURSING A PROBLEM?

Although competitive hare coursing was made illegal under the Hunting Act 2004, offences continue to occur across rural areas, often involving organised groups travelling significant distances to target farmland with high hare populations.

Modern hare coursing typically involves offenders driving vehicles across agricultural land to flush hares from cover before releasing dogs to pursue them. This results in significant damage to crops, recently seeded fields, drainage systems, fencing, gates and hedgerows. Farmers can be left facing repair costs running into thousands of pounds, alongside lost agricultural productivity.

The impact on rural communities is far greater than the damage to land. Hare coursers frequently trespass on private property, intimidate farmers and landowners, and show little regard for public safety. Reports from across the country continue to include threats, aggressive behaviour, dangerous driving, criminal damage and assaults.

The substantial sums of money associated with illegal gambling remain a major driver of hare coursing. Videos of dogs chasing hares are often recorded and circulated online, with organised competitions and betting taking place both within the UK and internationally. As a result, offenders are willing to take significant risks to evade capture, leading to dangerous vehicle pursuits and confrontational behaviour towards police officers, farmers and gamekeepers.

For many rural residents, the threat extends beyond the incident itself. Most farmers live where they work, often with their families. Intimidation and threats can therefore have a significant and lasting effect on victims, leaving communities feeling vulnerable and targeted.

The hare coursing season generally begins after harvest when fields provide clear visibility for both dogs and spectators. This is also a period when farms may have straw stacks, hay bales and agricultural buildings that are vulnerable to criminal damage or arson. All too often, offenders have been known to use threats against property and livelihoods when challenged.

Police intelligence and national enforcement activity including information collated by the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) continue to demonstrate links between hare coursing and organised criminality. Hare coursers often travel extensively across force boundaries and may use their presence in rural areas to identify opportunities for burglary, theft of machinery (typically used for ATM thefts), fuel theft and the targeting of farms where firearms or other valuable items may be stored.

HOW DO WE DEAL WITH HARE COURSING?

Hare coursers can be extremely difficult to catch. They are highly mobile, often using multiple vehicles and lookouts to monitor the movements of police, farmers and gamekeepers. By the time officers arrive at one location, offenders may already have moved into another force area.

To counter this, Bedfordshire Police's Rural Crime Action Team (RCAT) continues to develop intelligence-led approaches to enforcement. Reports of hare coursing are analysed to identify trends in locations, days, times and methods used by offenders. This intelligence helps officers deploy resources more effectively and target those areas most likely to experience this criminal activity.

The sharing of intelligence through Operation GALILEO has strengthened cooperation between police forces, allowing information about offenders, vehicles and organised groups to be quickly circulated across regional and national policing networks. This joined-up approach has significantly improved our ability to disrupt offending and build evidence against persistent offenders.

Success is not always measured by arrests or prosecutions. Disrupting offenders, preventing incidents and making Bedfordshire a hostile environment for hare coursers are equally important outcomes. Consistent enforcement increases the risks faced by offenders and can influence their decision to operate elsewhere.

Where appropriate, a range of powers may be used, including vehicle seizures, Criminal Behaviour Orders, Community Protection Notices and other tools available under current legislation. These measures help restrict offenders' movements, deter repeat offending and protect rural communities.

The continued support of farmers, landowners, gamekeepers, rural businesses and members of the public is essential. Timely reporting allows intelligence to be gathered, patterns to be identified and enforcement opportunities to be developed.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Please remain vigilant for signs of hare coursing and related rural crime. If you witness suspicious activity, record as much information as safely possible, considering:

Every bit of information that comes into Policing contributes to the national picture and helps police forces target offenders more effectively. Together, we can continue to disrupt, deter and prevent this cruel and illegal activity while protecting our farming communities, wildlife and rural environment.

Operation GALILEO – Working together to tackle hare coursing and protect our countryside.