NPAS helps crackdown on hare coursing across county borders
The National Police Air Service (NPAS) has joined Cambridgeshire Constabulary, Essex Police and Hertfordshire Constabulary in a renewed, coordinated effort to tackle hare coursing and associated rural crime under Operation Galileo.
Image courtesy NPAS
Launched at Fowlmere Airstrip near the tri-force border, the initiative brings together specialist rural crime teams and NPAS air support to send a clear message: illegal activity will be pursued relentlessly, regardless of county lines.
NPAS aircraft play a critical role in the operation, providing aerial surveillance, tracking suspects in real time and supporting ground units with vital intelligence and evidence gathering.
Sergeant Kevin Flinn, Base Manager at NPAS North Weald, said: “Air support is a valuable tool in identifying, tracking and gathering evidence of those involved in hare coursing. The offenders are a constant blight on rural communities which my team intend to deal with by targeting the offenders and ensuring they are locked up.”
Operation Galileo combines:
Shared intelligence across forces to ensure offenders have nowhere to hide
Real-time aerial support from NPAS to monitor rural areas and assist ground teams
Specialist rural crime officers working closely with farming communities to disrupt criminality and secure prosecutions
This partnership reflects NPAS’s ongoing commitment to supporting forces nationwide in protecting rural communities, safeguarding wildlife and upholding the law.