Police want public to help crackdown on poachers after incidents in Whitby and Malton

Police are calling on people to help them in the crackdown on poaching.

They are urging people living in rural areas to report information to help crackdown on the culprits.

In the early hours of yesterday, officers were called to land at Danby, near Whitby, after concerns about poaching.

Although the suspects had left the area, details of a vehicle involved were passed on from a witness.

The same day, police had calls about suspected poachers at West Heslerton, near Malton.

There were also reports of poaching near Helmsley and in South Otterington, Northallerton, where police challenged a group of men with dogs.

Inspector Matt Hagen, of North Yorkshire Police’s Rural Taskforce, said officers understood the terrible impact of poaching on rural communities.

"Poachers often have no regard for farmers and landowners, causing thousands of pounds of damage to crops," he said.

"Victims are often intimidated or even threatened with violence if they challenge offenders, leaving them feeling vulnerable to further crimes, particularly in isolated areas.”

Last week North Yorkshire Police’s Rural Taskforce launched a campaign urging members of the public to report any suspicious activity in rural areas that could be linked to poaching, such as unusual vehicle movements or lights in darkness.

They are asked to call North Yorkshire Police on 101 if it isn’t urgent – or 999 in an emergency or if a crime is in progress. This includes if poaching is taking place.

On average, police are called to more than 50 incidents of suspected poaching in North Yorkshire every month.

Incidents tend to increase significantly from August onwards, during and after harvest time.

Anyone caught poaching will be summoned to court, while those stopped in suspicious circumstances will be issued with a community protection warning or a community protection notice – breaches of which will be prosecuted.

A message from the editor

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the highest standards in the world.

The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers and consequently the advertising that we receive.

We are now more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you

Jean MacQuarrie, Editor-in-Chief