Rural engagement officers investigating reports of people firing catapults at the Leigh park are appealing for information after a man and two younger boys were said to be firing catapults on Saturday.
The police team say they swiftly attended and patrolled the woods, speaking to families and dog walkers there.
It comes after a spate of incidents at the park, with furious residents forming the Belfairs Squirrels Protectors group to gather further evidence of the attacks and raise awareness.
Well-used – Belfairs Park Wood (Image: Essex Police)
Sergeant Paul Brady says: “Belfairs wood is well-used by people of all ages. The potential consequences of firing a catapult in this environment are unthinkable.
“We’ve already been sent photographs of a squirrel that appears to have been killed by a catapult shot and we’re seeking to identify those responsible for this cruel crime.
“We want to hear from anyone who was walking in the woods between 12.30 and 1.30pm on Saturday to contact us with information if you saw anything suspicious.”
Earlier this month, Belfairs non-aligned councillor Stephen Aylen said he’d seen a rise in reports of attacks, and claimed yobs armed with catapults had killed “around 20 squirrels” in Leigh.
“Most people want to enjoy the beautiful countryside our county has to offer but an irresponsible few want to cause pain and suffering to the wildlife it contains,” Sergeant Brady added.
“They view it as harmless fun but it is not. Cruelty to wildlife is illegal.
“We need anyone who sees such activity to report it to us, either online via our website or by ringing 101 but, if it’s a crime in progress or there’s a danger to public safety, ring 999.”
Witnesses or anyone with information about the incident in Belfairs Park Wood are asked to quote incident 465 of 11 January when contacting Essex Police, at essex.police.uk or 101, to enable their information to get quickly to the investigating officer.
Police have highlighted Operation Lakeshot, a national policing operation targeting rural crime, which focuses on education and preventing re-offending as well as detection and bringing offenders to justice.