A determined police operation to tackle hare coursing in South Holland has been praised by the man overseeing policing in Lincolnshire.
Police and Crime Commissioner Alan Hardwick said the results for Operation Galileo which saw about 300 fewer reported hare coursing incidents between September 2012 and March 2013 than for the same period last year as “spectacularly successful.”
The operation was run by Insp Andy Ham and a team of six full-time police officers who dealt with reports of gangs hunting hares on South Holland farmland, resulting in almost 200 prosecutions and vehicle seizures under the 2004 Hunting Act.
Mr Hardwick said: “Operation Galileo has been spectacularly successful in my opinion and just shows the power of a concerted police campaign.
“It has definitely made Lincolnshire an unwelcome place for criminals who, I’m sure, thought the rural landscape of our county gave them the protection to pursue their activties.
“This isn’t true and my congratulation go to all the officers involved.”