Countryside Alliance hits out at Wiltshire Police over fox hunt change

Campaigners have accused Wiltshire Police of "blatant discrimination" after the force banned officers with links to hunting, past or present, from joining its rural crime team.

The Countryside Alliance said that “there can be no justification for rejecting job applications based on an individual’s involvement in a lawful activity” and urged the force to immediately reverse its decision.

The organisation added that the ban, part of a key framework following controversy on the appointment of a hunt-affiliated PC to the rural crime team (RCT), "blatantly discriminates against people who are involved in a lawful activity" and accused Wiltshire Police of bowing to “faux outrage and mob rule”.