Two men arrested on suspicion of poaching in Dorset

Dorset Police joined officers from Wiltshire Police and Hampshire Police to target cross border rural criminality.

On Thursday 27 January 2022 officers from Dorset Police, Wiltshire Police, Hampshire Police, and the Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner Dave Sidwick, came together to support a national operation developed to target hare coursing and cross border criminality.

Op Galileo is a national operation supported by many police forces across the UK, and by many agencies including the National Farmers’ Union, making life even more difficult for hare coursers.

Almost half of Dorset’s population live in rural areas, so an effective police response to reports of crime and anti-social behaviour affecting the rural communities is essential to helping to keep our communities safe.

By working with other forces across the country, Dorset Police say they can share information and intelligence on offenders who cause greatest harm to rural communities.