Five people have been arrested on suspicion of hare coursing in the Danbury area.

The Essex Police Rural Engagement Team and local officers, supported by the force's Dog Section and the National Police Air Service (NPAS) helicopter, were deployed after the force received several reports of hare coursing in the afternoon of Saturday 15 January.

Two men, aged 68 and 33, and a 37-year-old woman, all from Basildon, a 19-year-old man from Wickford and a 28-year-old man from Birstall in Leicestershire were all arrested on suspicion of trespass with intent to search for or to pursue hares with dogs.

They have all been released under investigation while inquiries continue.

Inspector Terry Jacobs, of the Rural Engagement Team, says: "Hare coursing is a big concern in our rural communities and we understand its effect on people.

"We encourage people to ring 999 if you see hare coursers in action. We work with the National Police Air Service and our dog handlers as well as local policing teams to arrest suspects."

Hare coursing is the pursuit of hares using greyhounds and other sighthounds, which chase the hare to ultimately catch and kill it.

The practice has been illegal since 2004, yet it still takes place in some parts of the UK. The illegal nature of hare coursing and its associated gambling often leads to the participation of people who are undertaking other forms of criminal activity, such as drugs and firearms offences, which is why the practice is said to pose such a threat to farmers and others in the rural communities.

In the 12 months to 16 February 2025, incidents of hare coursing in Essex reduced by 56% compared with the year to 16 February 2018.