TWO PEOPLE, a 50-year-old woman and a 70-year-old man, have recently been charged in connection with wildlife offences under the Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Act 2023. The incident took place in the Houston area on Saturday, January 4 2025.

Constable Michelle Williams said: “We will continue to tackle wildlife crime and offences under the Hunting with Dogs legislation by working in partnership with a number of organisations. I would urge anyone with concerns about criminality involving wildlife to contact Police Scotland on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

The Hunt Saboteurs Association (HSA) in Glasgow said: “These charges are particularly significant, as the individuals were operating under licences issued by NatureScot — licences that are routinely described as ‘strict’ by those defending them.”

These follow a series of charges being brought against hunts, including two more incidents that took place in the Pennymuir area on Saturday December 21 2024, and the Hawick area on Tuesday January 14 2025, leading to charges against a 30-year-old man under the same Act.

Evidence and convictions

Since 2007, 25 out of 52 convictions under the Hunting Act (2004) against organised hunts have been based on evidence provided by the HSA, with only one conviction using evidence gathered by the police themselves in 2007.

In recent years, since 2020, all convictions against organised hunts under the Britain-wide Hunting Act have come from evidence provided by the HSA. This is to be expected, with Saboteurs being one of the few organisations routinely in the field, monitoring hunts across Britain.

All of these convictions have been achieved by working with the police and the Crown Prosecution Service. Usually, after great persistence on the part of the HSA, as many police forces can be difficult to work with and can be reluctant to bring charges against established hunts.

Police collusion concerns

This reluctance can be evidenced by the secret deal between Warwickshire Hunt and the local Police. Released on January 8 2025, after an “independent” review, the “civil protocol” shows collusion between the Warwickshire Police and a hunt that has been accused of criminal behaviour.

The protocol includes establishing a monthly meeting between the hunt and the force and promises that the police will directly email the hunt complaints made against it, ultimately giving them a chance to get their story straight, or even giving them the chance to identify the individual complainant.

Another feature of this protocol is that the police would provide notice to the hunt if they were planning to join or monitor them for the day. This effectively removes any chance of the police catching them breaking the law by alerting them beforehand that they may be caught. It’s hard to imagine why the police would give prior notice of their arrival to anyone else accused of breaking the law.

Despite the laxity in enforcing the law contained within the protocol, the fact that Warwickshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Phillip Seccombe, was a member of the notoriously pro-hunt Countryside Alliance was not considered to have an “inappropriate influence” on hunt policing.

Political connections

The links between hunts, their supporters and the British ruling class are deep and go back centuries. In the modern day, hunts are still led and supported by various MPs, Lords and Ladies. This support can be found across all mainstream political parties.

Former Conservative minister Jacob Rees-Mogg has hosted the Mendip Farmers’ hunt at his West Harptree Mansion. Baroness Llin Golding (Labour) is a board member of the Countryside Alliance. And of course, Reform’s Nigel Farage is a stalwart supporter of fox-hunting, often donning a pair of wellies and a flat cap to appeal to and “defend” rural communities.

While animal welfare groups across Britain welcome laws that strengthen protections against hunting, it is clear that unless these laws are adequately strengthened and enforced, groups like the HSA will need to remain in the field, collecting evidence and defending wildlife.