Campaigners welcome police warning for Four Burrow Hunt

Animal welfare campaigners have welcomed Devon & Cornwall Police issuing a Community Protection Warning (CPW) to the Four Burrow Hunt over its behaviour.

National animal welfare charity the League Against Cruel Sports and Kernow Hunt Saboteurs praised the move which imposes conditions on the hunt, but called for more action should the hunt breach the warning.

The issuing of the CPW follows 15 years of the Four Burrow Hunt trespassing and chasing foxes on a wildlife sanctuary near Truro owned by local resident Adam Hawker who logged the incidents.

Kernow Hunt Saboteurs, who monitor the Four Burrow Hunt across their territory in Cornwall including the wildlife sanctuary and have seen foxes being chased, have pledged to report any fresh incidents involving the hunt to the police.

John Petrie, head of campaigns at the League Against Cruel Sports, said: “We welcome any initiatives that help the police tackle illegal fox hunting which should have ended when the ban came into force more than 20 years ago.

“We are calling for the UK government to finish the job and introduce stronger hunting laws which will actually end this brutal blood sport once and for all – it has pledged to ban trail hunting and it also needs to introduce an effective deterrent in the form of prison sentences, and tackle ‘accidental’ or reckless hunting.”

Adam Hawker said: “It’s a huge relief that after 15 years of the hunt hounds repeatedly marauding over the wildlife sanctuary chasing foxes – and it is apparent that no trail is ever laid – the police have now stepped in and issued this Community Protection Warning.

“If the hunt don’t take notice and carry on hunting, then I hope the police will move to the next step which will be a Community Protection Notice which if breached will lead to criminal proceedings.”

Karen from the Kernow Hunt Saboteurs said: “We will be monitoring Four Burrow Hunt and if they breach any of the conditions we can now hold them responsible for their actions, report them to the police, and help end fox hunting in Cornwall"

The Community Protection Warning contains conditions that would hold the hunt to account if it claims it is trail hunting, the excuse hunts invented and used following the ban, and then displays activity inconsistent with following a trail. (See notes to editors for the conditions.)

The League Against Cruel Sports published figures after the last fox hunting season showing that trail laying hardly ever actually happens. Just 23 or 3.7% of the 624 hunt meets reported across England and Wales last season contained evidence of a trail being laid. Within those 23 reports with a trail laid, there was still evidence of 22 foxes being chased.

It is the second Community Protection Warning to be issued in the county after the North Cornwall Hunt received one last season.

Polling commissioned by the League Against Cruel Sports and carried out independently by FindOutNow with further analysis by Electoral Calculus in March/April 2024 found that 74 per cent of the Cornwall public supported stronger fox hunting laws, with only seven per cent disagreeing.

A clear majority of voters in rural as well as urban areas across the country backed new laws to stop foxes being chased by hounds and killed, with 70 per cent of people in the countryside supporting the proposal.

Ends

Notes to editors

For information or interview requests, please contact the League Against Cruel Sports Press Office on 01483 524250 or email pressoffice@league.org.uk

Trail hunting has been described by Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman, the national police lead on fox hunting crime, as a “smokescreen for illegal fox hunting”. He also described illegal hunting as “prolific”.

Fox hunting was banned in Wales and England when the Hunting Act came into force on February 18, 2005.

Find Out Now interviewed 5,379 GB adults online from 26 March - 2 April 2024. Data were weighted to be demographically representative of all GB adults by gender, age, social grade, other demographics and past voting patterns.

Find Out Now and Electoral Calculus are both members of the British Polling Council and abide by its rules.

A full breakdown of the data is available here: https://electoralcalculus.co.uk/blogs/DataTables_LACS_Jun2024.xlsx

The League Against Cruel Sports is Britain's leading charity that works to stop animals being persecuted, abused and killed for sport. The League was instrumental in helping bring about the landmark Hunting Act 2004, the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021, the Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Act 2023 and bans on the use of snares brought about by the Agriculture (Wales) Act 2023, and Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024.

We carry out investigations to expose law-breaking and cruelty to animals and campaign for stronger animal protection laws and penalties. We work to change attitudes and behaviour through education and manage wildlife reserves. Find out more about our work at www.league.org.uk. Registered charity in England and Wales (no.1095234) and Scotland (no.SC045533). 

Community Protection Warning conditions

1. You will create a map(s) of where every/all trails are laid- recording this on a video. In the case of a live/ongoing event you will have a hunt member present with a copy of a map and knowledge of where the trail is laid. This applies to every hunt or training event/day, and map(s) must be provided to attending Police officers or Police staff upon request.

For the purpose of a Police investigation, in relation to any trail or training event, you will be able to produce a copy of the map and video within 7 days of police request. Maps and video must be retained for 60 days after an event for admin purposes in case required or requested by police.

2. If the hunt goes off course, the trail hunt will be suspended immediately to reconnect with the trail.

3. If control of any hound(s) is lost, the event will be suspended and all hounds recalled. Only if full control is regained will the event resume.

4. You will gain prior written permission from any landowner giving permission for their land to be used for any event or activities. At all events there will be one person present with a copy of any relevant permissions for land use at all hunt days/events and these documents must be provided to police or police staff upon request.

5. You will leave private land immediately when asked to do so by either the landowner, occupant, Police Officer, PCSO or other person with appropriate authority.

6. You will not block or cause disruption to any highway (including allowing dogs to roam freely without supervision) and will consider applications for Traffic Regulation Orders when it is reasonable to assume that hunt activities will cause local traffic issues (for example, large meets or events).

7. You will notify police at least 24 hours in advance of any event, detailing when and where a trail hunt (event or otherwise) is to occur. This should be done by contacting the Bodmin Neighbourhood Team at Devon and Cornwall Police either:

a.Via email to @devonandcornwall.police.uk or

b.Via telephone to 101 ensuring a message is passed to Bodmin Neighbourhood Team.

If the event is a public event or there is potential for conflict or members of public attending (for example but not limited to a Boxing Day event etc...) notification/contact should be made with OPs Planning team at Devon and Cornwall by emailing- @devonandcornwall.pnn.police.uk to supply information about the event and discuss any further requirements.

8. You will not allow any of your members or hunt participants (including staff and volunteers) to engage (or threaten to engage) in a manner capable of causing nuisance, annoyance, alarm, harassment or distress by words or actions, to any members of the public or employees of Devon and Cornwall Police. This includes but is not limited to shouting and swearing and includes public and private locations.

9. Your hounds are not to stray onto private agricultural land or any private land that you do not have permission to be on (see point 4). Should your hounds stray onto land without appropriate consent or permission and livestock is stressed or worried, police will consider if prosecution is appropriate under Dogs Protection of Livestock act or any other legislation,