Nine police forces across the north of England have joined together as part of one of the biggest rural crime crackdowns of its kind.
The forces have formed a region-wide Community Protection Notice (CPN), described as a "joint strike against cross-border poachers."
This means all nine police forces will now work as one to prosecute hare coursers, poachers and other rural offenders.
It also hands police and the courts greater powers to prosecute serial cross-border criminals who breach their CPN conditions by repeatedly targeting rural victims.
Supported by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the region-wide CPN means offenders who commit offences across multiple counties can be prosecuted jointly by the forces.
Before this, if someone committed an offence in one force area and then travelled to a different county to carry out a second offence, both cases would have been heard in isolation.
Responding to the CPN, Northumbria Police’s deputy chief constable, Debbie Ford said it was a "significant and innovative move that would help combat rural crime".
“It is one of the biggest collective crackdowns of its kind in the UK and should send a clear message to those who target our most remote communities - rural crime will not be tolerated," she added.
“Tackling and preventing rural crime is a priority for the Force and this latest initiative builds on the extensive work already underway with our partners.
“The initiative will see a collaboration between Forces to share intelligence and jointly prosecute poachers and offenders who travel across borders to attempt to disguise their criminality.
“By working together, we can continue to protect our communities and bring effective justice against perpetrators.”
William Maughan, NFU chair for North Riding and Durham, welcomed the initiative, as figures showed a 'significant impact' of poaching crimes across the region.
“Our most recent rural crime survey highlighted the significant impact of crimes such as poaching and hare coursing on farmers across the region," he said.
“In total 51% of respondents said they were subjected to regular farm invasions. For years, criminals have taken advantage of cross-border differences between police forces, so having consistent measures in place across nine force areas is a huge step forward.
“Hopefully the farming community and the region’s much-loved wildlife will reap the rewards of this hard-fought drive to clamp down on rural crime.”
The scheme has also been welcomed by the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) and the Country Land and Business Association (CLA).
CLA rural adviser, Libby Bateman said it was 'encouraging' to see police forces across the North of England working together on the initiative.
“Criminals are transient, often moving across large distances to seek-out areas of lower resistance," she added.
"These new CPNs continue to apply to individuals as they traverse force boundaries, meaning the risk of further sanctions and ultimately a criminal conviction also travels with them.”
The region-wide CPN consists of Northumbria Police, Cleveland Police, Durham Constabulary, Cumbria Constabulary, Humberside Police, North Yorkshire Police, South Yorkshire Police, West Yorkshire Police and Lancashire Police.
