Avon and Somerset Police have a new weapon in their battle against hare coursers and other rural criminals. Police unveiled their new drone that has been funded by the NFU in a collaboration to help fight rural crime. On Wednesday 28 June, Chief Constable Sarah Crew met with farmers at a rural crime prevention event at Frome Market that had been organised by the UK’s leading rural insurer NFU Mutual.

The event saw the unveiling of the new drone that Avon and Somerset Police have purchased to help in the fight against hare coursing and other rural crimes. NFU Mutual Bath bought the batteries for the drone, spending hundreds to ensure illegal hare coursers are under surveillance with the police able to gather film evidence for potential prosecutions.

NFU Stratton group secretary Andrew Smith chaired the event and said: “For us farmers, it’s a constant worry. I don’t know if I’m unique, but before I turn in for the night, I’m thinking is everything safe? Is the GPS kit safe? Then there’s one final look on the cameras before you go to bed. It’s a constant worry but there’s things we can do together with the police to ensure that it gets better and that’s why we are here today. Over the last three years in this area, we have built a really good relationship with the Rural Crime Unit and it’s something we want to emulate across the county.”

Chief Constable Sarah Crew took questions from local farmers at the event, addressing concerns over various aspects of rural crime including hare coursing – a major problem in parts of Somerset and neighbouring Wiltshire where gangs release lurchers to chase hares, often betting on the outcome.

Numerous conversations at the event between members of the police and farmers who have experienced rural crime in the past year indicated the necessity for a drone to be added to Avon and Somerset Police’s resources in order to prevent and fight rural crime.

NFU Mutual Senior Agent Andrew Smith said: “If the coursers are driving a 4x4 and the police turn up in a car, they cannot always pursue them across fields and the criminals can escape through a gate and get away.  A drone can keep them under surveillance, alert other units, and gather evidence.”

Avon and Somerset Police’s Rural Affairs Unit also spent the morning of the event carrying out livestock trailer data tagging free-of-charge. The tagged trailers had notices stuck on them to warn would-be thieves that the vehicles can now easily be identified and their true owners traced if they are stolen.

Andrew said: “Thieves cannot remove the micro-dots put on with data-tagging and once the details are linked to a database, the owner of any trailer that is stolen can easily be traced.”  He said research had shown data tagged trailers that were clearly marked were much less likely to be stolen.