Police have caught four hare coursers using a new database designed to track and convict them.
The four men have been handed County Court injunctions to prevent them from hare coursing in Cambridgeshire.
Denny Loveridge, James Crickmore, John Jefford and Mark Loveridge were caught by police using the new system.
The injunctions will mean the men cannot enter any farmland in Cambridgeshire between 31 July and 31 March, the months of the hare coursing season.
The judge was satisfied that he had heard evidence showing the men had been involved in hare coursing over a two year period and therefore handed the men injunctions.
PC Gareth Tanner said: “This is an excellent result for the rural community and one of the first of its kind. I’m confident that the conditions granted will be effective.
“This has been a considerable piece of work, both due to the complexity of the tactics used, and the amount of evidence presented at court because of the sheer persistence of these individuals.”
Hare coursing costs the farming community thousands every year in damages to crops and land.
The convictions follow news of a prominent hare courser recently sentenced to 13 years in prison after an investigation into a £100m drug dealing ring.
