Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate she has made of the number of gangs that are involved in hare coursing.

The Government recognises the importance of tackling rural and wildlife crime and the impact hare coursing can have. We are committed to safeguarding rural communities, with tougher measures to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, strengthened neighbourhood policing, and stronger laws to prevent farm theft and fly-tippers.

The National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU), which the Government provides funding to, oversees the police national response to wildlife crime, including hare coursing. It provides bespoke analytics each year to the 32 forces that are signed up to Operation Galileo, which has resulted in a 40% reduction in hare coursing, and have been successful in disrupting and prosecuting organised crime groups.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council’s Wildlife and Rural Crime Strategy aims to target hare coursing through better preventative action, improved intelligence and enforcement.

Policing in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter.