A 31-year-old man has been charged with hare coursing on farmland as North Yorkshire's poaching clampdown continues.
The man, from Guisborough, was charged with hunting a wild mammal with dogs, and possessing a lock knife, which was found on him during a search.
A North Yorkshire Police officer was on patrol near Great Edstone just before 1am on Sunday 22 November, when he spotted lamps flashing across farmland.
The officer then found a parked car with a man sitting inside. Nearby was another man, carrying a lamp, a dead hare, and with a lurcher dog on a lead.
The man with the dog was arrested and taken to custody, and he is due to appear in court next month.
In the meantime, his bail conditions prevent him from entering the county of North Yorkshire.
In addition, both men were issued with Covid-19 fixed penalty notices, for contravening the requirement not to leave the place where they are living.
Earlier this year, North Yorkshire Police’s Rural Taskforce launched Operation Figaro urging the public to report any suspicious activity in rural areas that could be linked to poaching, such as unusual vehicle movements or lights in darkness.
The work runs alongside Operation Galileo, a national campaign bringing together forces particularly affected by poaching.
Inspector Matt Hagen, of the Rural Taskforce, said officers understood the 'terrible impact' of poaching on farmers and wider rural communities.
He said: “Poachers often have no regard for farmers and landowners, causing thousands of pounds of damage to crops.
"Victims are often intimidated or even threatened with violence if they challenge offenders, leaving them feeling vulnerable to further crimes, particularly in isolated areas.”
On average, police are called to more than 50 incidents of suspected poaching in North Yorkshire every month.
Incidents tend to increase significantly from August onwards, during and after harvest time.
