Police launch Operation Galileo as hare coursing season begins

Lincolnshire Police launched its 2026 Operation Galileo campaign on Monday, 12 October, warning hare coursers: “Don’t even think about it!” The operation, led by the force’s Rural Crime Action Team, will use intelligence from the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU), neighbouring forces and rural communities to target offenders with drones, marked and unmarked cars and off-road vehicles.

What will Operation Galileo do this season?

Operation Galileo exists to deter, catch and prosecute those who hunt illegally with dogs to kill hares in Lincolnshire, a county that has long borne the brunt of organised coursing. Detective Constable Aaron Flint, of the Rural Crime Action Team, has spent years bringing coursers to justice and said the message is simple.

“Hare coursing is against the law. Using dogs to chase, catch and kill hares is barbaric, the damage to farmland and infrastructure along with the intimidation of communities, often by members of organised criminal gangs is abhorrent,” he said.

“We will not tolerate it and will take positive action, arresting those involved, seizing their cars, dogs and equipment, we will prosecute those involved and this can lead to significant court fines, costs, banning orders and the forfeiture of property. You have been warned.”

What powers do police and the courts now have?

The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 created two offences: trespassing with the intention of using a dog to search for or pursue a hare, and being equipped to trespass for that purpose. Each carries an unlimited fine and up to six months’ imprisonment.

On conviction, the courts can also order offenders to reimburse the police for the cost of kennelling seized dogs, and can disqualify them from owning or keeping a dog at all.

Keepers asked to feed in poaching intelligence

The warning comes as the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation (NGO), which sits on the Police Poacher Priority Delivery Group, appeals to members for detailed poaching intelligence: locations, the type and frequency of offences, descriptions of vehicles and individuals, and the quality of the police response, good and bad, with crime numbers wherever possible.

The organisation warns that under-reporting creates “a vicious circle” in which the true scale of poaching is underestimated in police intelligence, and reminds keepers that a crime in progress is always a 999 call.

What happens next?

Operation Galileo runs throughout the coursing season, with officers acting on tip-offs from rural communities. Anyone who sees live coursing in Lincolnshire should call 999 with vehicle registrations, locations and descriptions of people and dogs; incidents that have already happened can be reported on 101 or through the force’s online wildlife crime form. Keepers with poaching intelligence from any county can pass it to the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation for the national delivery group.