HARE coursing has fallen by almost a third after police joined forces across the region.
Incidents across Essex and six other force areas fell from 2,044 in 2020-21 to 1,415 in 2021-22 – a drop of more than 30 per cent.
The sickening bloodsport has been branded "barbaric" by the police.
An Essex Police spokesman said: "Our successful crackdown on this rural crime came after we teamed up with the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Norfolk and Suffolk forces last September to remove policing borders when certain tactics are used.
"This has made catching and prosecuting offenders easier.
"The agreement means the forces become one when using certain powers.
"Over the past six months, this has helped with the use of automatic number plate recognition, the seizure of dogs and the sharing of all interactions and movements of people suspected to be involved in hare coursing."
The move supports an ongoing national initiative against hare coursing – codenamed Operation Galileo.
Hare coursing usually starts in September when fields have been harvested and ploughed.
A police 4X4 on an offroad track
The illegal blood sport causes damage to crops, harms animal welfare and threatens rural communities. It can result in intimidation and even violence.
Sgt Paul Brady, of the Essex rural engagement team, said: “We know hare coursing and poaching causes a lot of concern to our rural communities. The tactics we use against, and the information we share about, suspected hare coursers, combined with the use of community protection warnings, community protection notices and criminal behaviour orders, has seen a 31 per cent reduction in hare coursing incidents across the region.
“It’s a great achievement and our collaboration demonstrates to those intent on causing physical and mental harm to our rural communities that we will not tolerate their barbaric actions.
He added: “Our forces will continue to work together with the Crown Prosecution Service, who have been an immense help, to further reduce illegal hare coursing and poaching across the region.
"The Government set out in January new plans to strengthen the powers and penalties available to tackle hare coursing.
"If passed into law, these increased penalties will help us to target offenders even more robustly.”
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