Yorkshire wildlife crime officers make plea to public

Wildlife officers from a Yorkshire police force are urging members of the public to give them vital information as they continue their crime crackdown.

Officers from Humberside Police will be out and about at a number of events across Yorkshire next week in a bid to reach rural communities.

A force spokeswoman said: "Our rural residents often have very different problems to urban areas and these events help us get out and reach our rural communities.

"The events we have planned will give us the opportunity to talk to people about how we can tackle the issues that are most affecting them.

"At big events like the Driffield Show we will have our community police officers, many of whom have additional roles as Wildlife Crime Officers, PCSOs and volunteers on hand at our stands.

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Officers will be visiting various farms across East Yorkshire and will host pop-up surgeries at Hessle Feast on July 14, the Driffield Show on July 17, Blacktoft Sands Nature Reserve on July 19 and the Bishop Wilton Show on July 20.

Wildlife and Rural Crime Officer Brandon Ward has explained how the events give the force chance to explain how its 60 wildlife officers are tackling the crime.

Mr Ward said: “This year we have had some real successes in tackling rural and wildlife crime. Between September 2018 and March 2019 we ran a very Operation Galileo to tackle poachers and harecoursers.

“Five men were also imprisoned for six months and issued Criminal Behaviour Orders in relation to badger digging offences. Five dogs owned by them have now also found new loving homes.

“We could not have done this without the help of the public. Most of these results have been obtained because suspicious people, incidents and vehicles have been reported to us. That is why it is so important for people to report anything suspicious.

“We have organised this week of events throughout the East Riding, North and North East Lincolnshire so that people can have an opportunity to meet officers and to speak to them about things that matter to them.”

“It would be great to speak to as many people as possible at these events so if you are planning on a trip to any of the shows drop by and have a chat with us.”