Operation Randall

Introduction

Well summer does appear to have finally arrived and with the high pressure firmly in place this week the harvest has started at great pace. Although it’s a little later than in previous years, it will be a relief to many to get started as it marks the end of another ‘year’ before the process starts all over again.

This month has been a slightly unusual one, with a week of it spent in court dealing with a case (more on that further down). But elsewhere we have been out and about as a team while also supporting our colleagues at several events.

In this edition as well as covering the usual topics, I’ve also decided to include a section about safety in the countryside as we often find demand considerably increased during summer months as people taking unnecessary risks.

As always, if you have any questions, concerns or comments on any issues raised throughout this newsletter, please do contact us via email operationrandall@norfolk.police.uk

Two Convicted of Illegal Fox Hunting

Two members of a hunt have been convicted of illegal fox hunting following two incidents in Norfolk.

Adam Egginton, 23, of Moor Lane, Necton and Edward Bell, 31 also of Moor Lane, Necton appeared at Great Yarmouth Magistrates’ Court on Friday 19 July 2024 following a three-day trial.

They were found guilty of hunting a wild mammal with dogs on 8 February and 20 February 2023 and were handed fines and costs totalling £1,700 each. They had denied the charges and were acquitted of two further charges of causing criminal damage and having dogs dangerously out of control, which they had also denied. Two other men joint huntmasters Andrew Kendall, 67, of Hulver Road, Henstead and Robert Gurney, 55, of Bawdeswell were cleared of all charges.

During the trial the court was shown CCTV video of the West Norfolk Hunt and a pack of 38 hounds in Hingham. The footage, captured by a domestic security camera, shows the fox entering a courtyard area followed by the pack of dogs who “pull it into pieces” and the mess that is left behind. A few moments later an unidentified member of the hunt jumps the fence, removes the fox, and hides it under his coat. Bell and Egginton are then seen and heard making efforts to call the dogs back. They eventually regroup and return to the northern side of the road where they had permission to trail hunt.

The householder said in a Victim Personal Statement that since the incident the family had installed further gates and protection at their home. It described how their property, security and privacy had been violated by the hunt and how they felt ‘on edge’ when using their patio for fear of uncontrolled hounds.

The statement went on: “Emotionally it is extremely distressing that we had to clean up the aftermath of the hounds ripping apart a poor lonesome fox on our patio. The hunters kindly left us the pleasure of removing the intestines, kidneys, fox fur, and blood from our blood-stained patio.

I had to explain this to my three-year-old. Why should she be exposed to this in her home?”

The court was also told about another earlier incident involving the same hunt group. In this incident on 8 February 2023 in Titteshall, Norfolk, footage handed to Norfolk Police appeared to show dogs on the trail of a live fox. On this day Bell and Egginton were also present and in charge of the dogs.

Although trail hunting is legal - in which dogs and riders follow an artificial scent along an agreed route - it has been illegal to hunt foxes in England for 20 years.

PC Chris Shelly of Norfolk Police’s wildlife crime team Operation Randall said: “These two incidents clearly show these dogs intentionally hunting wild mammals in public areas placing other wild mammals, pets, and the wider public at risk because of their behaviour. We presented two cases of illegal hunting which go against the hunting act and we hope offers reassurance that Norfolk Constabulary will always deal robustly with any such illegal activity.”

Wildlife Crime Update

A response officer has sadly dealt with a pigeon trapped in a Fenn trap. Thankfully the bird was none the worse for the incident, but the trap had been set illegally. Fenn traps are legal if they are big enough and set in the correct manner targeting allowed species. However they must always be set with the trap in a tunnel/cover to stop untargeted species getting caught. If you spot a Fenn trap like this DO NOT TOUCH IT – instead, please take a photo and record the exact location (ideally using What3Words) and report it to the Police using our online form. Removing or touching the trap could ruin forensic opportunities.

We are also dealing with several reports of crows and pigeons being shot with air weapons in built up areas. It is an offence to kill any wild bird unless exempt under a licence. None of the general licences available will be applicable in these circumstances and therefore these birds have been shot and killed illegally. The latest incident occurred in Attleborough near Sainsbury’s and we are appealing to anyone with any information to come forward. As a team we have carried out extra patrols in the area and handed out letters to highlight the issue.

We continue to receive a number of complaints around destruction of bird nests and disturbance offences. Although you may expect most nests to be done with by this time of year, it wouldn’t be unusual to see them continue to be used well into September (especially given the colder spring we had). So if you are planning on doing any work on hedges or similar, please do make the relevant checks first.

Rural Road Safety

Rural roads disproportionately account for the number of serious collisions our Roads and Armed Policing Team deals with. Since Norfolk has no motorways, many of our roads are considered rural and with harvests under way we can expect more slow-moving vehicles on them.

Getting stuck behind a tractor pulling several tonnes of grain for a couple of miles is not much different to sitting at a red light for 2 minutes.  However some people take unnecessary risks when overtaking slow moving tractors, putting themselves and other users in harm’s way.  All motorists are advised to pass farm machinery slowly, to give them space and to remember these vehicles are legally entitled to use the road.

One final thing to mention around rural roads is the speed limits. The national speed limit often applies but that does not mean you have to do 60mph. You should always drive according to conditions. You never know what might be around the corner and the question to ask yourself is could you stop if you needed to if you encountered another vehicle or a child on a bike or a family out on a walk?

What is happening in the countryside in August?

As I have already touched on harvest is well underway  - including those yellow fields of Oil Seed Rape (OSR). Over the past few years there has been a sharp decline in the amount of OSR being grown in East Anglia for several reasons including issues with pests but also because it hasn’t thrived in our very wet autumns. That has driven the price quite high which in turn could make it more attractive to businesses to look at growing it again so we may see more yellow fields next spring.

Winter barley harvest is also underway - initial reports are positive around yields despite the frustrating growing season.

Straw is also going to be a costly by-product for livestock farmers this summer with prices high after the wet spring where livestock had to be kept indoors for longer than normal.  I am sure many of our arable farmers will be hoping for a better few months than we had last year to get the crops back in the ground for next as the new farming year begins again.

As harvest rumbles on our hedgerows burst into colour with fruits, berries and seeds becoming abundant to many of our native birds and wildlife. Many of our native species will be preparing winter stores and our migratory species putting on condition ready for their long journey to their native continents. Some birds may still be nesting with several species such as blackbirds, house martins and even swallows can have 2 clutches some even 3 in a year so please do not remove any nests just yet.

Many of our mammals will also be teaching their young to be independent. Young Stoats will have spent all summer watching their mothers hunt they will now be learning themselves on young rabbits and rodents. Stoats are a really important predator in our natural world with them being a vital natural predator involved in the management of wild rabbits.