Death knell for hunting ban as police abandon monitoring operations

[Sankari]

Police forces are to stop monitoring hunts in a change of policy that sounds the death knell for the hunting ban, The Times has learnt.

New guidance from the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) states that gathering evidence of illegal hunting is difficult, that the ban is hard to enforce and that chief constables have more pressing priorities.

In future, forces should rely on anti-hunt activists to produce information, it says. But they should also be “very cautious” of such groups and recognise that hunting is an “emotionally charged” subject.

Hunts will also no longer be required to inform police in advance of the time and place of meets and their planned route.

Richard Brunstrom, Chief Constable of North Wales and the Acpo spokesman on rural affairs, said: “Hunting is definitely not a policing priority. It is not illegal to wear a red coat and ride a horse in a public place.”
​

Times.

 

[Duke]

Common sense at last. Good to see they are going to be using the Police for things that are more important.

 

[Greenlizard0]

Good that they're stopping wasting money and resources on this.

It's bad though they're implying that any evidence needed will then have to come from anti-hunts activists? Are you kidding me? They're an idiotic unwashed lot who lets face it won't really do things in an above board/legal way.

 

[matt_fsr]

Good that they're stopping wasting money and resources on this.

It's bad though they're implying that any evidence needed will then have to come from anti-hunts activists? Are you kidding me? They're an idiotic unwashed lot who lets face it won't really do things in an above board/legal way.

But saying that... how will they gather evidence when 250lbs of hunter has just trampled on them "oh sorry officer, I didnt see him down there"

And besides, the officers wont even be there as they'll be too busy topping up on doughnuts....

 

[Rainmaker]

Finally some sense. Let's just hope the lentil-eating brigade don't take this as a green light to go loco. Trespass is still trespass and there's such a thing as harassment. Not to mention murder.

Hopefully the words of caution attached to the effect of "We know they're nutters and won't be taking much notice even when they do start moaning at us" will actually make its way into real-life policy.

On with the repeal.

 

[CaptainComedy]

lol Im not some activist or anything... but why do they need to kill foxes? I mean the foxes kill the rabbits which each farm crop? oh wait they'd rather kill the rabbits themselves too with hunting dogs.... lol its funny how they (in stereotypical fashion) act so above everyone but then do something so backward

 

[Greenlizard0]

But saying that... how will they gather evidence when 250lbs of hunter has just trampled on them "oh sorry officer, I didnt see him down there"

And besides, the officers wont even be there as they'll be too busy topping up on doughnuts....

Trampled by a fast moving horse would be slightly ironic as well....

 

[Rainmaker]

lol Im not some activist or anything... but why do they need to kill foxes? I mean the foxes kill the rabbits which each farm crop? oh wait they'd rather kill the rabbits themselves too with hunting dogs.... lol its funny how they (in stereotypical fashion) act so above everyone but then do something so backward

Go and eat some more lentils Better yet, get out into the countryside for a few years and see how it really works.

 

[Sankari]

lol Im not some activist or anything... but why do they need to kill foxes? I mean the foxes kill the rabbits which each farm crop? oh wait they'd rather kill the rabbits themselves too with hunting dogs.... lol its funny how they (in stereotypical fashion) act so above everyone but then do something so backward

The thousands of working class people involved with hunting would be puzzled to hear you accuse them of acting "above everyone".

Killing foxes with dogs is perfectly natural. It's what they'd be doing if they weren't domesticated, so I don't see the problem.

 

[Dolph]

foxes are a pest, the ban did nothing for animal welfare
(and never could, the studies comissioned by the goverment were fairly clear n this fact). a good decision by the police to stop enforcing labours class driven ban

 

[Rainmaker]

foxes are a pest, the ban did nothing for animal welfare
(and never could, the studies comissioned by the goverment were fairly clear n this fact). a good decision by the police to stop enforcing labours class driven ban

Hear hear. Foxes are meant to be naturally controlled in the UK by wolves, but they're extinct now. Something needs to take its place, and dogs seem like a pretty natural solution to me. Oh, and another working class supporter here. "Above everyone"... lol

 

[arknor]

should stop trying to find car thiefs etc aswell they never catch them in the act seems a waste of time

 

[Rainmaker]

should stop trying to find car thiefs etc aswell they never catch them in the act seems a waste of time

Have a ... At any rate, you're lucky if they manage to turn up a week on Thursday even if you dial 999 and say you're being burgled. I'd much rather they concentrate on real crime like rape, murder and child abuse than some genuine country dog lads having it at a fox/deer/hare that's gonna die anyway - whether by dog, gun, poison, car, whatever.

 

[deuse]

Hear hear. Foxes are meant to be naturally controlled in the UK by wolves, but they're extinct now. Something needs to take its place, and dogs seem like a pretty natural solution to me. Oh, and another working class supporter here. "Above everyone"... lol

And who killed the wolves off?
Well done man wonder what you are going to kill off next.

 

[Rainmaker]

And who killed the wolves off?
Well done man wonder what you are going to kill off next.

True enough, but we can blame medieval royalty and the feudal aristocracy for that. That doesn't change the fact that today's countryside needs constant managing in order to maintain the ecosystem, no matter whose fault it was originally. Agriculture and farming today is at such a level that we'd be in big trouble without all this 'interference'. The real countryside isn't like Watership Down, unfortunately.

 

[al123]

Good

 

[deuse]

True enough, but we can blame medieval royalty and the feudal aristocracy for that.

And in a 100 years time people will say " them numnuts killed off the fox
and it was just for fun "

As we all know more foxs get killed on the roads then by hunting.

 

[Rainmaker]

And in a 100 years time people will say " them numnuts killed off the fox
and it was just for fun "

As we all know more foxs get killed on the roads then by hunting.

So by 'them numnuts' you mean motorists I presume? Oh and if you think it's all "just for fun" you know nothing whatsoever about country life or its inhabitants and ecosystem, tbh.

 

[Sankari]

Foxes are meant to be naturally controlled in the UK by wolves, but they're extinct now.

Wolves are not extinct, and have recently been reintroduced to the UK.

 

[Rainmaker]

Wolves are not extinct, and have recently been reintroduced to the UK.

No I obviously meant the indigenous UK population is extinct, which it is. The reintroduction is in the highlands, iirc? Nice to see, but still won't form a national fox control network any time soon.