New hare coursing legislation has led to a 400 percent increase in arrests of suspected hare coursers in Lincolnshire alone.
During the hare coursing season, which ran from September 2022 to March 2023, 32 arrests were made, a rise of 400% compared to the previous year.
Lincolnshire Police confirmed that a total of 40 dogs believed to be used for hare coursing were seized, an increase of 60% compared to 2021-2022.
Hare poaching can lead to criminal damage, theft, vandalism, and violence. The season usually begins after harvest, as poachers take advantage of bare fields.
A single incident can cause thousands of pounds worth of damage to land and crops, and see farmers and landowners violently abused.
The force said it had also issued 12 public notices to suspected hare coursers, which is down by 436%.
A total of 573 incidents were reported over the six month period, compared to 570 reported incidents in just one month in the previous season, down by 63%.
The results are a mixture of new hare coursing legislation and a national trend in the decline of hare coursing.
The new legislation, which came into force in August 2022, makes it an offence to go equipped for, search for, or pursue hares with dogs, and an offence to trespass with intent to search for or pursue hares with dogs.
This legislation was used earlier this year when two men were charged under the act and both received more than £6,000 in fines each.
Lincolnshire Police's Chief Inspector Steve Williamson said this season had seen "some really positive results".
"We do not tolerate hare coursing in the county," he said, "We hope these results send a positive message to the community and those impacted by rural crime and hare coursing.
“We are really pleased with the difference having our dedicated Rural Crime Action Team is making and we will continue to target criminals in rural areas, which is one of our force priorities.
“We would like to thank the public for their continued support in reporting incidents to us.”
Johanna Musson, NFU county adviser for south Lincolnshire, said some farmers had been "terrorised" by hare coursing.
“There are now harsher sentences and increased police powers to tackle this illegal activity and the message is simple - if you come here, you’ll have your dogs, cars and equipment seized and receive a hefty fine.
“We are delighted Lincolnshire Police has led the way using the new legislation and we are buoyed by the latest crime statistics from the Rural Crime Action Team, which are very welcome.
“There is always more work to be done though and that includes farmers and growers reporting incidents to keep the issue high on the police agenda, and we must keep speaking with our MPs and raising public awareness.
“We look forward to further action to stamp down on hare coursing in the future as it has plagued the Lincolnshire countryside for far too long.”
