Dorset Police Rural Crime Team

23/06/2026

PARTNERSHIP | We continue to support our partners to tackle fly-tipping and waste crime and a supporting a Dorset campaign to tackle the illegal dumping of green waste.

The summer campaign by the Dorset Partnership Against Rural Crime (DPARC) brings together partners from local authorities, policing, the Environment Agency and Forestry England to encourage residents and contractors to dispose of garden waste responsibly.

Our Rural Crime Team will support partners in taking action against those who dump waste illegally and are helping our partners to raise awareness of the legal responsibility on householders to ensure their waste is disposed of correctly as well as the environmental damage fly-tipping of green waste can cause.

Residents are being encouraged to:

■ Use licensed waste carriers and ask for waste transfer documentation where appropriate
■ Check that contractors removing garden waste are registered legally
■ Use council garden waste collections or recycling centres
■ Report incidents of fly-tipping to local authorities

For more information about the campaign and how to dispose of garden waste responsibly, visit the Country Watch Dorset website.

22/06/2026

COURT | A man is due to appear in court in connection with a report of a suspected hare coursing incident in East Dorset.

Dorset Police received a report on the morning of Wednesday 4 March 2026 involving a vehicle driving through private land and reportedly chasing hare.

An investigation into the matter was carried out by our Rural Crime Team and as a result of these enquiries a 23-year-old man has been issued with a postal requisition to appear at Poole Magistrates’ Court on Monday 29 June 2026 for an offence of breaching a criminal behaviour order.

We recognise the impact reported offences involving hare coursing have on farmers and landowners and will carry out a full investigation into these matters so we can take positive action where appropriate.

19/06/2026

SENTENCED | A huntsman has been sentenced at court following an investigation by the Rural Crime Team into hunting offences in North Dorset.

An investigation was launched after a report on Sunday 13 October 2024 that a pack of Basset Hounds was seen chasing a hare through fields in the Sturminster Newton area.

The huntsman in charge of the pack was reportedly seen making no attempt to stop the dogs or call them away from the hare.

While there was no evidence obtained to suggest the hare was killed, it clearly showed the pack of dogs chasing the hare.

A 20-year-old man from Somerset was subsequently issued with a postal requisition to appear at court in connection with an offence under section 1 of the Hunting Act 2004 of hunting a wild mammal with dogs.

He appeared at Weymouth Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 18 June 2026 and was fined £648 as well as being ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £259 and court costs of £650.

Police Constable Lauren Middleton, of the Rural Crime Team, said: “We are committed to investigating all reports relating to hunting offences and using available legislation to bring those responsible for committing offences before the courts.

“We have worked hard to compile evidence and this case was the first time that our force has secured a prosecution for a huntsman leading a pack of Basset Hounds for offences involving hunting a hare.”

17/06/2026

Dorset FA, Dorset Police and other partners are working together to help tackle abuse in football, and we need your support. ⚽

We’re asking you to share your experiences in football so we can help shape a campaign focused on tackling spectator abuse, particularly towards females in the game.

Your responses will be managed by Dorset FA but shared with Dorset Police as we work together to identify solutions and take positive action to improve the environment in the game we all love.

Grassroots football plays a vital role in bringing our communities together, and it’s essential that everyone, players, officials, volunteers, and supporters feel safe, respected, and valued. Together, we can help make football a safer, more welcoming space for everyone.

👉 https://orlo.uk/bWLip

17/06/2026

We are proud to work with our colleagues from across the region in tackling rural crime. See below an update on the latest Op Ragwort day of action.

Police forces from across the region conducted a day of action targeting rural crime in Somerset.

Officers from Avon and Somerset Police joined forces with colleagues from Devon and Cornwall, Dorset, Wiltshire, and Gloucestershire to target the movement of stolen machinery, vehicles and identify any related rural offences on the A38 Bristol Road, in Brent Knoll, on Wednesday (10 June).

The operation, which was also held alongside partners from Trading Standards and the Environment Agency, gave officers the chance to share expertise and best practice among rural crime colleagues.

⛔ Several vehicles were stopped and checked to ensure they’re not involved in criminality, and several arrests were made in connection with suspected offences, including possession of class B drugs, drug driving, driving while disqualified, driving without insurance, as well as other traffic and immigration offences.

⛔ The Environment Agency also stopped 20 vehicles which were transporting waste, and five of these were doing so without the correct licensing. Three sites used for the potential illegal disposal of waste have also been identified, and concerns were raised over whether another site is operating Illegally.

✅ Advice and guidance were provided to all those transporting waste, including information on upcoming regulatory changes. Intelligence gathered will be used to develop leads for audits of waste carriers, brokers, and dealers, and enforcement options were considered where appropriate, including fixed penalty notices and vehicle seizures.

➡️ Read more: https://orlo.uk/CuMzx

10/06/2026

Officers carried out a warrant at a commercial premises in Henstridge on Friday 5 June as part of an investigation into suspected stolen and cloned vehicles.

09/06/2026

SENTENCED | A driver who failed to stop for officers in Ashley Heath has appeared in court.

At around 10am on Thursday 11 September 2025, officers of Dorset Police’s Rural Crime Team (RCT) attempted to stop a white Renault Megane at the Ashley Heath Roundabout.

The vehicle made off down the A31 in the direction of Ringwood, and despite area searches, was not located.

The officers knew the identity of the driver - a 29-year-old man from Ringwood.

The man was issued with a postal requisition to appear at Poole Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 4 June 2026.

He pleaded guilty to charges of failing to stop for a police constable, driving without valid third-party insurance, and driving without due care and attention.

The defendant was fined £180 and given a discretionary disqualification order from driving for 12 months.

Police Constable Chandler Organ, of Dorset Police’s RCT, said: “We will always take action to confront motoring offenders to remove them from the roads and ensure that they are not putting others at risk.

“Dorset’s roads remain a hostile place for offending motorists and we will take steps to remove those believed to be a danger.”

08/06/2026

This morning officers from the team responded to a report of a stolen Porsche Boxster with a tracker pinging in Dorset. The vehicle had been stolen during a dwelling burglary in Kent just days prior.

The vehicle was located parked in the Wareham area with an occupant inside. The occupant did not want to hang around to speak to officers, and as they prepared to make good their escape, officers entered the vehicle by smashing the window. The occupant was swiftly arrested for the offences of theft of a motor vehicle, driving otherwise than in accordance of a licence, and driving without valid third party insurance.

Later in police custody it was established that the arrested person was also wanted by Kent Police for breaching a sexual harm prevention order, and failure to appear at court.

The Stolen Porsche has been forensically recovered and will be returned to its rightful owner in due course. The arrested person remains in police custody whilst we make enquiries with Kent Police.

#55260084533

03/06/2026

COURT UPDATE | A man has pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal in Poole.

On Friday 3 October 2025, a video was posted into an open hare coursing group on Facebook by the defendant – a 32-year-old man from Poole.

The video shows the defendant pull a live rabbit out of a bag at Broadstone recreation ground, before setting a young lurcher-type dog on it.

The defendant was identified from the footage and arrested by officers in November 2025.

He pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal at Poole Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 28 May 2026.

He is due to appear at Bournemouth Crown Court on Friday 26 June 2026 to be sentenced.