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Selby’s Acting Chief Inspector hails cut in poaching incidents
A POLICE chief has praised communities for putting up a united front to help “scare off” poachers following a worrying increase in the crime across Selby district.
As the winter poaching season draws to a close, Selby’s acting Chief Insp Richard Abbott said criminals are now shying away from the area following the re-launch of one of the force’s most successful operations in recent years.
Operation Jumbo was started in 2009 to tackle poachers targeting the area through the winter months. It was kick-started again last October in a bid to combat rural crime, including barbaric blood sports such as badger baiting.
And this year has also seen a dramatic drop in poaching incidents.
Chief Insp Abbott said: “It’s been our best ever year. We’ve seen fewer incidents so it must be working.
“Those that have committed the crime have felt the full force of the law. We’ve arrested them, seized vehicles and seized dogs.
“We’ve had massive support from rural communities. That’s why it has been such a great success. Police and the public have been working together and it’s scaring poachers away and making them think twice.
“We have a rural watch system and a ringmaster system and support from gamekeepers, landowners and farmers who come out on patrol with us, which means we have a better chance of catching poachers.”
He added: “The old-fashioned image of a poacher with a shotgun over his arm and a brace of pheasants in his hand isn’t the reality. People are coming from other counties, including Lancashire and West Yorkshire, and we’ve seen hare coursing, lamping, deer poaching and badger baiting. However, it’s been a lot less than previous years.”
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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