Poaching is sometimes portrayed as an old-fashioned rural crime, something belonging to the pages of Victorian novels rather than the modern Dorset countryside. But the reality is very different. Today, poaching can involve organised groups, fast vehicles, sophisticated communications and significant damage to farms and wildlife. That is why Dorset Police has once again launched Operation Galileo, dedicated patrols aimed at poachers and hare coursers.
The latest operation began on the evening of Friday 7 August, with Dorset Police Rural Crime Team officers working alongside Roads Policing colleagues and officers from Wiltshire Police. The focus was east and north Dorset, where reports of poaching are particularly prevalent. Officers stopped a number of vehicles, including two suspected of using cloned registration plates.
It is a reminder that poaching has evolved considerably — but the conflict surrounding it is centuries old.
From hunger to organised crime
Historically, poaching was closely connected to poverty and the unequal ownership of land. Game animals such as rabbits, hares, pheasants and deer were protected by landowners, while access to the countryside and its resources was heavily restricted.
For poor rural families, however, a rabbit or hare could represent an important source of food. The distinction between the wealthy person’s “sport” and the poor person’s survival could therefore be stark.
Britain developed increasingly strict game laws, protecting animals for landowners and those with the legal right to hunt them. Poaching could attract severe punishment, and the enforcement of game laws created considerable hostility between gamekeepers and those attempting to take game illegally.
Dorset, with its extensive estates, farmland, woodland and downland, was part of that wider rural culture. The county’s landscape provided ideal territory for both legitimate field sports and illegal hunting.
But today’s poacher is not necessarily the desperate villager carrying a snare home for the family pot.
A modern rural crime
Dorset Police now classifies poaching and hare coursing as wildlife crime. The force says wildlife crime can be associated with firearms offences and organised crime, while the Crown Prosecution Service similarly identifies poaching and hare coursing among rural crimes that can be connected to organised criminal groups.
That is where Operation Galileo comes in.
The national operation is specifically designed to tackle hare coursing and poaching. Dorset Police says some offenders travel hundreds of miles and can operate across county boundaries, making cooperation between neighbouring forces essential.
The scale of the problem is also visible in Dorset’s police statistics. Dorset Police recorded 199 reports of poaching incidents in 2023, falling to 150 in 2024, a reduction of 25 percent.
That reduction should not, however, be interpreted as evidence that the problem has disappeared.
Hare coursing reports actually rose from 32 in 2024 to 49 in 2025, according to Dorset Police data.
And the consequences can extend far beyond the animals being pursued.
More than a wildlife issue
Modern hare coursing involves dogs being used to chase hares, but the damage can spread across entire farms. Vehicles can tear across fields, destroy crops, damage gates, fences and hedges and leave landowners facing substantial repair bills.
There can also be intimidation and fear when landowners confront people trespassing on their property.
Dorset Police says the impact can run into thousands of pounds for farmers and landowners, with consequences for food production as well as individual businesses.
That is why the description of poaching as “a bit of fun” is increasingly difficult to sustain.
Sergeant Mia Jakeman of Dorset Police’s Rural Crime Team has made the force’s position explicit: poaching is a serious criminal offence, and officers believe some activity is connected to organised crime networks.
Operation Galileo therefore represents something considerably more sophisticated than occasional patrols by a rural police officer. It combines intelligence from local communities with targeted patrols, Roads Policing, specialist resources and cooperation with neighbouring forces.
The latest deployment demonstrates that approach in practice.
A battle that has changed — but not disappeared
There is an irony in Dorset’s long history of poaching. Centuries ago, the argument was frequently about who had the right to take wildlife from the land. Today, the emphasis is on protecting wildlife, agricultural businesses and rural communities from criminal activity.
The countryside may look timeless, but the threats facing it are not.
Operation Galileo is an attempt to ensure that rural Dorset is not regarded as an easy target simply because its fields, lanes and isolated farms make enforcement more difficult.
The message from Dorset Police and Police and Crime Commissioner David Sidwick is straightforward: intelligence from residents matters, suspicious vehicles should be reported and those targeting Dorset’s countryside should expect a response.
Poaching may have a long history in Dorset. But if Operation Galileo succeeds, its future will be considerably less welcome.
