DRONES have been used by police in Dorset as part of an operation to clamp down on hare coursing.

The Dorset Police Rural Crime Team worked alongside Wiltshire Police colleagues and the Police Drones Team for Operation Galileo on Thursday evening (August 18).

Operation Galileo is the national response to hare coursing – the illegal pursuit of hares with dogs to both catch and kill them.

A Rural Crime Team spokesperson said: “In the pursuit of hares, offenders can drive off road causing significant damage to crops. They can also ram or destroy boundary fences.

“Eye in the sky drones are a real asset in tackling rural crime. They enable us to monitor activity from the sky, in addition to our intelligence and reports led land patrols.

“If you see hare coursing in progress, please call 999 and tell us about this crime in progress.”

Officers carried out further proactive patrols in rural Dorset again on Friday evening.