[eeyore]

Originally Posted by Kayleigh

Its illegal what they are doing Squeek so petitions won't do any good as they are criminals and they don't abide by rules like eeyore said if you see anything report it but for god sake dont let them see you doing it and make sure you can get away quick leave it to the police once you have reported it.

unfortunately the legalities of hare coursing are not quite so simple - from the TVP website (they copied it from the lincs police website for informational purposes)

Hare coursing in itself can be legal.

The season runs between the first of September until the last day of March and there are legally run coursing clubs such as The East of England Coursing Club which run well-organised events.

Hare coursing becomes illegal if carried out on a Sunday because it is illegal to take game of any description on a Sunday. It is also illegal to course on land with dogs without the permission of the landowner. Those who do so are trespassing and committing the offence of poaching.

Lincolnshire has always suffered from illegal coursing. This is because the county is very rural and agricultural, it is very flat and dogs can be easily seen chasing the hares. This means the activity can be filmed without interruption. The county also has a high population of hares.

Lincolnshire suffers from groups of people coming from as far afield as Manchester, Northumberland, Yorkshire and even Devon and Cornwall to illegally course for hares.

Apart from the 'sporting' aspect, it is known that the dogs chasing the hare is often videoed, taken back to where the coursers live and used as the basis for major betting events where pundits place their bets on which dog will catch the hare etc.

The powers Lincolnshire Police has include The Game Act which states that it is illegal to pursue or take game without a licence. Powers of arrest are an option under Section 25 of PACE (Police and Criminal Evidence Act).

Coursing can be very frustrating for farmers not least because one of the offences it can entail is criminal damage when vehicles are driven across newly-sown land. There is also the possibility of ancillary crime, such as the theft of agricultural equipment, damage caused when the offenders gain access to the fields and the intimidation of landowners. Coursers also risk spreading diseases to animals and crops.

We would ask residents and visitors to the county to keep an eye out for illegal courses and call Lincolnshire Police on 01522 532222.

Please be aware that our officers may be committed to other incidents. They might not be able to attend immediately. It may be necessary for victims to obtain evidence using video cameras and to take note of any vehicle numbers and descriptions of offenders. We are often unable to prosecute due to lack of independent evidence.

What are Lincolnshire Police Doing About it?

With the onset of another season of hare coursing, Lincolnshire Police have been busy preparing for the influx of offenders.

Lincolnshire Police are part of an Eastern Region Group of Police Forces, all of whom face problems with hare coursers and who have agreed to work together in regional operations intended to target offenders in what is widely regarded as a predominantly rural crime.

Lincolnshire Police will be dedicating resources to this area of policing and will be assisted by local landowners and gamekeepers as well as having access to air support if required. The regional operations will be ongoing throughout the autumn and winter months.

Lincolnshire Police Rural Intelligence Officer, Nigel Lound said: "Last season between November and March we received reports of over 500 incidents relating solely to hare coursing. This resulted in a lot of people ringing the Police having been affected by these activities.

"We intend to reduce the fear of this crime by dedicating resources to it. Coursing is the use of dogs, mainly Lurcher / Greyhound types which are released with a view to pursuing a hare. The object is not the killing of the hare, but rather the skill of the dogs at "turning" the hare. The hare is, however, regularly killed.

"Hare coursing itself is not illegal, however it becomes illegal when persons trespass on land in pursuit of game such as the hare."

thus if squeek really wants to she could start / sign a petition agains the legal hare coursing - not that this would do any good because the govt takes very little notice of petitions and if you did suceed in getting it banned coursers would just continue to do it illegally anyway.