Op Galileo needs good neighbours

Lincolnshire Police are hoping neighbours of hare coursers become good friends.

As part of Operation Galileo, the fight against hare coursing, letters have been sent out to ten people known to have taken part in the last season.

And they’ve also sent 143 letters out to those ten people’s neighbours.

Lincolnshire Police’s lead for rural crime, Superintendent Phil Vickers has sent the letters.

It includes the anonymous CrimeStoppers number in the hope neighbours can tip the police off if they suspect a person is about to head out for hare coursing.

In his weekly newsletter Supt Vickers said: “Last month I wrote to ten people involved in hare coursing in the county last year, and explained that it is my intention to make Lincolnshire a hostile environment for hare coursing.

“I won’t be waiting for hare coursers to come to our county, we will be going out to where offenders live and taking the fight through their front door.

“In addition to those ten individuals, I wrote to 143 of their neighbours.

“I explained that a member of their community had visited Lincolnshire and committed offences that have caused misery.

“I explained that no one supports animal cruelty, and that there are steps they can take to help us tackle it.

“I provided all 143 of those households with details of the CrimeStoppers Rural Crime Reporting Line – 0800 783 0137. Anyone can call and provide information, anonymously if you wish.

“We know that those rural offenders brag about their activities, on social media and to their neighbours, so the CrimeStoppers line is particularly useful system – I’ve had positive experience of CrimeStoppers information corroborating other information in the past and helping us to target key offenders in Lincolnshire.

“Some of those offenders travel significant distances to offend in Lincolnshire and most are well known to their local officers for different types of criminality in their local community.

“Investigative work to develop evidential packages that will be the basis for us taking the fight to them is on-going – I look forward to providing updates as they are rolled out.”

Operation Galileo saw a 30 per cent reduction in crime during its course last year.

On this season’s campaign Supt Vickers said: “Four weeks into Lincolnshire’s Operation Galileo 2018/19 season and the force has picked up where it left off from the previous season – with renewed commitment and intent.

“Meeting with rural communities and businesses in my first few weeks as the force rural crime lead, I was heartened to hear positive feedback about how we’d worked together to reduce the number of hare coursing incidents last year.“