Another hunt has been issued a Community Protection Warning (CPW). Staffordshire Hunt Saboteurs have announced that the Albrighton & Woodland Hunt is the latest pack to have been given the slap on the wrist by police.
The sabs announced:
“This comes as a result of their antisocial behaviour including, trespass, lack of hound control, killing of a muntjac deer and killing of a fox. They have caused damage to property as well as harassment, alarm and distress to residents and landowners.”
In September 2023, the Hunt Saboteurs Association (HSA) was given footage by members of the public, showing Albrighton and Woodland hounds rioting on and then killing a deer during a cubbing meet. The HSA reported that members of the hunt had tried to remove evidence of the murdered deer, but that the public prevented them.
Conditions of the warning
A CPW is the first of three stages that the police can take in the process of issuing a Community Protection Notice (CPN). The first stage is to issue a formal warning to an individual or group, outlining what action they need to take or stop so that they aren’t sanctioned with a CPN. The second stage is to issue a CPN if the conditions of the warning are broken. The final stage is for the police to take action if the CPN isn’t complied with.
The sabs outlined the conditions of CPW:
“As a result of their antisocial behaviour the following requirements must be adhered to with immediate effect:
1. Inform Staffordshire Police of meet locations, including dates and the routes the trails are to be laid2. Inform Staffordshire Police of details of people in charge at each meet – names and a contact number3. Scent trail to be laid 20-30 mins before the hunt start off and trail layer to be recorded laying the trail – possibly with a phone or ‘go-pro’ camera, to confirm times trail laid and prove the trail was laid4. To have the artificial scent ready to show, should officers attend and request this5. Whipper in and huntsmen to control the hounds to prevent from straying off the scent and onto private land and not to pursue wild mammals6. Ensure you have land owner’s permission and have all details of those land owners, in case this needs confirming7. Trails to be laid well away from main roads and also away from woods, coverts and hedges where wildlife would naturally go to rest8. Please remember nobody has authority to stop traffic, other than the police9. Avoid areas where badger setts are10. In the event of any accidental kills of wild mammals, continue to contact police straight away, leaving the animal in situ as evidence.”
“We have no doubt that these conditions will have come as a blow to the Albrighton, especially as they’ve never laid a trail and are renowned for their lack of hound control, (remember last season when hounds ran wild through the grounds of a special educational needs school).”
The hunt’s downfall?
Staffordshire Sabs said:
“We did warn the Albrighton that [huntsman] Liability Larby and his partner Phillipa Ward would be the downfall of this hunt, and it seems that our prediction is coming true. Remarkably the BHSA have still seen fit to include the Albrighton in the upcoming “smokescreen Saturday” which will be hosted by the North Staffordshire Hunt. In our opinion any hunt that associates itself with Larby and Co must be mad, but hey what do we know?!”
“Smokescreen Saturday” refers to the National Trail Hunting Day that the British Hound Sports Association is organising for 14 September, in its desperate attempt to convince politicians that they shouldn’t vote to ban hunting; that any wildlife kills have been purely accidental; and that hunting is a harmless ‘rural tradition’.
Other hunts have received police warnings
We’re seeing a slow but growing trend of hunts receiving warnings from police forces.
Back in December 2022, Warwickshire Police issued the Warwickshire Hunt with CPN. In August 2023 the police backtracked, having negotiated with the hunt to come up with a secret protocol. It didn’t expand upon this protocol to the public, but surprisingly in March 2024 the police charged the hunt itself with Hunting a Wild Mammal With Dogs. This is only the second time that a hunting body has been charged since the Hunting Act came into force.
In March 2023, the Essex with Farmers and Union Hunt was issued with a CPW. Essex Police said at the time:
“RET [Rural Engagement Team] have issued a Community Protection Warning to a hunt that operates in Essex. Following reports of trespassing and other issues affecting local communities, RET have taken action. Everyone must remain within the law whilst participating in country sports.”
The hunt then merged with the Puckeridge Hunt, calling itself the Puckeridge and Essex Union Hunt, and was immediately issued with a CPN.
Negative publicity
All this negative publicity must be stressing out the hunting industry as it tries to stay afloat going into the 2024/25 hunting ‘season’. CPWs and CPNs must be particularly galling for the BHSA – after all, these notices show that the police have recognised that hunters are breaking the law and need to be warned. This is hardly painting the picture of a harmless tradition that the BHSA is so desperate to portray.
