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Crackdown on poaching gangs
A MAJOR purge was launched yesterday to round up poachers in the East Riding using helicopter surveillance, tracker dogs, uniformed police and detectives.
It will be the first county-wide crackdown after officers scored a number of victories against offenders in the northern parts of the area.
Rural bobbies are also teaming up with farmers to set up a Farmwatch scheme to cover the whole of East Yorkshire under the new zero tolerance approach to the problem.
Police in many parts of Yorkshire have been saying for years that modern poaching no longer involves hard-up local people bagging "one for the pot". Modern poachers operate in gangs often linked to organised crime and drug-running operations in the urban areas in which high-value meat and fish, such as game and salmon, have become just another underworld currency.
The visits of poachers to often isolated rural areas have become a source of fear to many residents, particularly since the poachers are now often involved in other crimes.
Fishing is often done with explosives and the poachers have even been known to operate under the cover of night using military-style flares hanging from parachutes.
Sgt Dave Jenkins, from Driffield police station, said officers in the East Riding were sending a strong message out to any poachers preparing to come into the area in the coming months that this will not be tolerated.
Humberside Police have also underlined the force will be working closely with the local farming community and is delighted with the response from the rural community.
The Rural Crime and Poaching Operation will also target
many other rural crimes,backed by neighbourhood policing staff, the force helicopter, instant response officers, dog section, CID, Safer Communities team, RSPCA and Farmwatch members.
Sgt Jenkins added: "The rural community have long felt they have been neglected by the police. I think it is fair to say that this is a national issue, not just a local one.
"As a result East Riding officers have been running Poaching Operations in the north of the county which have produced fantastic interest and comments from various national farming communiqus and local residents.
"Our local rural community have responded positively to the police intervention."
The first county wide Anti-Poaching Operation on this scale will involve neighbourhood policing staff right across the 900 square miles of the East Riding to deal with any calls about poaching and rural-related crime.
Sgt Jenkins added: "We in the process of setting up the first countywide Farmwatch, which will be an extremely useful tool to the police.
"We want use this network along with our overt and covert poaching operations to send a strong message out to any potential poachers preparing to come into the area: You will not be tolerated and you will be dealt with accordingly."
Farmers who want more information or wish to join the county-wide scheme can contact their "local" neighbourhood policing team and they will be able to connect them with their closest Farmwatch team.
Police say they have been working closely with the local farming community and will be announcing the first countywide Farmwatch information network soon.
"Humberside Police will link all members from new, old and dormant farmwatches together where they will be able to exchange information to help one another," a force spokesman added.
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Weather for Yorkshire
Saturday 26 May 2012
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Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
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Temperature: 9 C to 22 C
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