Illegal world-wide betting syndicates fuelling 'barbaric' hare coursing in Leicestershire countryside
Date of alert:
Wednesday 9 February 2022
Crime Ref:
Force:
Leicestershire Police
Footage of dogs hunting down and killing wild hares is being shared and even live-streamed for the benefit of overseas gamblers.
Illegal betting syndicates in far-flung parts of the world are fuelling the 'barbaric' sport of hare coursing here in Leicestershire, it is being claimed.
Footage of dogs hunting down and killing wild hares is being shared and even live-streamed online for the benefit of overseas gambling rackets.
Police and farmers have reported a spike in recent incidents in the Harborough district - and they believe it is down to criminal gangs seeking to profit from gangs operating around the world, in Hong Kong and other parts of the Far East in particular.
Landowners feel "utterly powerless" in those responsible and their ruthless tactics of intimidation, according to the National Farmers Union, (NFU).
"From what our members in the area have been telling us, there has been a recent spike in hare coursing incidents," said Harriet Ranson, the NFU's county adviser.
