By ELEANOR MANN
Published: | Updated:
A pioneering police drone scheme has caught pheasant poachers in the act in a policing first.
The first-of-its-kind police scheme filmed three men firing catapults at the wild birds from their Honda CR-V on private land in the Linkenholt area in Hampshire.
The drones, operated by volunteers who had been trained by police in a new scheme, also captured the moment one of the men injured a bird, before driving off and leaving tracks behind in a crop field.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary launched the pioneering drone volunteer scheme, believed to be the first of its kind in the country, earlier this year.
The rural community drone volunteers, who received training on a bespoke drone operators course, were able to locate the poachers and film them in the act on October 7.
The volunteers launched their drone shortly before 5pm after a group in a Honda CR-V trespassed on farmland and started shooting ball bearings at wild birds.
Drone footage captured the moment poachers injured a pheasant after launching catapults through their car window
The three men were then caught driving off through a crop field, leaving behind tyre marks
Damage was also caused to the field by the vehicle, which left tyre marks as it drove across the private land.
A 29-year-old has since been tracked down by police and given a Community Resolution, with a requirement to complete a victim awareness course.
A Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary spokesperson said: 'Footage captured by the drone was then used by the Test Valley Rural Neighbourhood Policing Team to identify and track down the driver of the car.
'The 29-year-old man, from Dibden Purlieu in the New Forest, was visited by officers where he admitted his involvement in the offending and was dealt with by means of Community Resolution, with a requirement to complete a victim awareness course.
'The man was also served a Community Protection Notice Warning (CPNW) about his behaviour. If the behaviour is identified again, he will be served a full CPN, and if this is breached he will be liable for arrest and further prosecution.
'This incident shows in real time the value that our volunteers bring in spotting rural crime and helping us identify the offenders.
'Our message to rural criminals - we have eyes in the sky, and we are watching you.'
The scheme was funded by Test Valley Borough Council, North Wessex Downs National Landscapes (NWDNL) Farming in Protected Landscapes, and the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones.