POLICE TRAINED BY ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVISTS

Westmorland Gazette

A LOCAL huntsman has lashed out at Cumbria Policefollowing the revelation that officers have received training from an animal rights group.

Cumbria Constabulary confirmed that several of it’s officers received “briefings” from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) - a group that campaigned for the hunting ban.

The information was revealed after the Countryside Alliance put in a request under the Freedom of Information Act.

Richard Dodd, chairman of the Countryside Alliance in the north west, said the finding has led farmers, landowners and huntsmen to lose confidence in the constabulary.

“Farmers will now say the policeman is his foe rather than a friend,” he said. “If ever there was an own goal scored the police have done it. The IFAW are linked to animal terrorists. This is like asking Al Queda to provide the police with training on counter-terrorism.

“The hunting community is regularly tackled by some of these activists. They turn up at legal hunts and try to provoke an argument with hunt officials. These are not little games they’re playing. They are nasty people with a political agenda.”

Hunts in Cumbria are often monitored by the police and Chief Constable Craig Mackey said advice from the IFAW was received simply to “gain a thorough understanding of all the issues involved.”

Mr Mackey said officers have liased with landowners, residents, hunt monitors, anti-hunting groups, members of the Countryside Alliance and IFAW so that policing of hunting events is “unbiased and proportionate.”

"The briefings provided by the IFAW were an extension of this learning process and other police forces have received identical input,” he said. “The views of the IFAW inform our approach; they do not direct them.”

Mr Mackey said he would be happy for the Countryside Alliance to provide a similar briefing session to officers but Mr Dodd said there were no plans to do this.

In a statement, IFAW claimed to be responding to a request from a regional force to assist with enforcement of the Hunting Act. It said it had provided guidance on the legislation and information on how to spot an illegal hunt.

It said that since the enforcement of the Hunting Act four years ago it has “responded to requests from the Association of Chief Police Officers and various regional forces to assist with enforcement of the Act.

“The police have recognised that IFAW has relevant expertise and knowledge about hunting based on years of peaceful monitoring of hunts in the field.”

The Conservative Party has announced its intention to hold a free vote on the Hunting Act if it wins the next election.

Mr Dodd believes there will be enough support for a repeal, commenting that the Act is “a proper dog’s breakfast.”