Wiltshire Police has stepped up patrols across the county after a sharp rise in hare coursing offences, as officers warn rural crime is placing growing pressure on farming communities.
Police figures show that between September 2024 and August 2025, hare coursing and poaching offences rose by 21.8%. Enforcement activity has also increased, with 30 people arrested since January — a 500% rise compared with the previous year.
Seven offenders have already been convicted and fined a total of £2,892 under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act, with four further cases awaiting prosecution.
Officers have been working alongside farmers and rural residents to raise awareness of the issue and disrupt criminal activity. Earlier this week, police joined local farmers and the media to highlight the scale of the problem and encourage communities to report suspicious behaviour.
Farmers described repeated incursions onto their land and the toll it has taken on both finances and wellbeing. One farmer from the Pewsey Vale area said his farm had been targeted around 10 times in the past month.
“The impact on the farm is the trashing of crops and the cost of the added security,” he said, adding that thousands of pounds had been spent on fencing, CCTV and lighting. “Every single night, I go out and drive the perimeter of the farm,” he said, describing the anxiety this has caused at home.
He urged the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity. “If you see lights on in a field at night and they're not on a tractor, particularly if it's going at speed or you see guys getting out of a 4x4 with dogs, call the local farmer or call the police,” he said.
Another farmer described hearing noises late at night before seeing two vehicles drive down a dead-end road, followed shortly afterwards by powerful lamps being switched on in a nearby field.
Wiltshire Police said it is using a whole-force response through Operation Ragwort, which brings together neighbourhood officers, specialist rural teams and intelligence units to target organised gangs involved in hare coursing, poaching, agricultural machinery theft and fly-tipping. The force said tackling rural crime remains challenging due to the speed at which offences are committed and the mobility of offenders.
Inspector Andy Lemon, tactical lead for rural crime, said: “We’re mobilising neighbourhood officers, drones, CID and armed units to hit offenders at every stage. This sends a clear message that rural crime is treated with the seriousness it deserves, and we will not tolerate incursions on our countryside.”
He added that police cannot tackle the issue alone. “We need residents to report suspicious activity as soon as they see it – either online, by calling 101, or in an emergency by dialling 999,” he said, explaining that timely information helps officers build intelligence and target offenders.
Operation Ragwort was established by the five police and crime commissioners in the south west after concerns were raised about rural crime and enforcement. Wiltshire and Swindon Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson, who leads on rural crime in the region, said working closely with communities was key.
“The fact that we have people coming out with us from the rural communities not only reassures them of the work being done to protect them from a very real threat, it also allows us to utilise their local knowledge,” he said.
Wiltshire Police said high-visibility patrols, community engagement and enforcement activity will continue in affected areas in the coming months as officers work to disrupt offenders and reassure rural communities.
