RURAL engagement officers investigating reports of poaching in the Uttlesford district are appealing for information.
A spokesperson said: “Following initial reports from members of the public of suspected hare coursing in the Broxted and High Easter areas on Wednesday 8 January, a Nissan X-Trail was spotted and tracked by the National Police Air Service (NPAS) helicopter.
The flight crew directed officers on the ground and the vehicle was stopped in Sheering by officers from our Dog Section.
Four men in their 20s, who were accompanied by three dogs, were detained and searched by our officers, as was the vehicle. A catapult and shot were recovered and the vehicle was seized.
The men will be voluntarily interviewed at a later date. In the meantime, our Rural Engagement Team is conducting further investigations and is appealing for witnesses in both areas to contact us with information, either online at www.essex.police.uk/ro or by ringing 101.
Please quote incident 283 of 8 January 2025 to enable your information to get quickly to the investigating officer.
Do you have information for us?
If you see hare coursing taking place, ring 999 immediately and provide as much information as you can – for example, a What3Words location, a description of the people involved, vehicle registration numbers, vehicle descriptions and the location and direction of travel.
When the police give you a reference number, please put this and the day’s date into any WhatsApp groups you are a part of so that anyone in the area with information can ring us and we can link it to the same incident, if relevant.
However, it is very important that you don’t confront hare coursers or put yourself at risk.
If you see anything which you feel needs police attention, or you have information about a crime or criminal activity, always ring 999 if it is an emergency or a crime in progress.
Otherwise, you can report it online at https://www.essex.police.uk/ro where you can also speak to an online Live Chat operator between 10am and 9pm. Alternatively, you can ring 101.
You can also contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, online or by calling 0800 555 111.
“For more information and advice on rural crime visit our Rural Crime webpages at www.essex.police.uk/ruralcrime”