Police chief bans officers who have links to hunting despite attending them himself

A Tory Police and Crime Commissioner has been accused by the Countryside Alliance of not understanding his own anti-hunting rules.

A Wiltshire policing chief has come under fire from the Countryside Alliance, who have accused the Police and Crime Commissioner of not understanding his own rules amid a row on hunting. The police branch recently changed rules so no officer may join the force’s Rural Crime Team if he or she has any personal links with hunting - past or present. Now Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson has admitted to shooting and personally attending hunts in the past.

The Countryside Alliance’s Chief Executive Tim Bonner has accused Philip Wilkinson of “failing to comprehend the implications” of his own officer ban.