Hunting in Warwickshire – a policing update

Statement from Deputy Chief Constable David Gardner:

“We police the communities of Warwickshire without fear or favour.  

“Trail hunting and protest around it continues to be an emotive and divisive issue. We engage with all concerned parties on an ongoing basis.   

“Taking learning from last season, we are committed to being transparent around our dealing with trail hunting and associated protest activity so that we can build confidence amongst our communities and partners. 

“Our publicly available Code of Behaviour for trail hunting sets out policing expectations.  Where there are allegations or evidence of criminal behaviour, we will investigate and seek to bring those responsible to justice.   

“One such court case, with a charge of hunting a wild mammal, is scheduled for Spring 2025. 

“We expect all our officers and staff to police our communities fairly and impartially and where there are allegations that this is not the case they will be investigated.” 

Protocol 

The now obsolete ‘protocol’ with Warwickshire Hunt has been the subject of much confusion. 

The protocol came about because we used civil action to protect the people of Warwickshire from conduct on public roads that – though not reaching the threshold for criminal prosecution – did cause concern among our communities. 

There has never been a ‘secret deal’. The ‘protocol’ is privileged civil court information, which is subject to confidentiality as it is a Court record covered by legal privilege.  This means it should not be shared publicly.  

This is a decision that has been upheld by the Information Commissioners Office (ICO).  The ICO is entirely independent of Warwickshire Police.  

We regularly update MPs and key partners as we work together to support the people and communities of our county.   

Warwickshire Police is co-operating fully with the independent review commissioned by the Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Seccombe, and we will respond to any findings on the completion of the report. 

Read more: Fox Hunting | Warwickshire Police and 2024/25 guidance for lawful hunt and lawful protest activities