The Blue Foxes and their stance against hunting with hounds are mentioned twice within three days on ConservativeHome which is the premier site read by Conservative politicians and Conservative supporters.
ConservativeHome writes on Wednesday 17th August;
And finally… Ann Widdecombe on David Cameron’s inability to re-introduce fox hunting: “you can hear the foxes laughing. Tally, ho, ho, ho, ho!”
“I admit to hooting with mirth when I read in the weekend press that David Cameron now faces difficulties reversing the hunting ban because the new breed of MPs whom he brought in through the A list and at the expense of the old guard whom he despises are actually anti-hunting. Poetic justice was never more pleasing. From the earths of a thousand woods you can hear the foxes laughing. Tally, ho, ho, ho, ho!” – Daily Express
The following artlcle was written by Joe Duckworth, the new CEO of The League Against Cruel Sports on 15 August, 2011 : 14:33 and talks about Hunt Havoc
In my last blog I compared hunt havoc to persistent anti-social behaviour (ASB) in urban areas because the effect on the victims are the same, spoiling their lives and leaving them feeling isolated and hopeless.
I did not compare the hunting fraternity’s behaviour with the awful widespread criminality we have seen with the recent riots and looting. Hunt havoc is not like that, although we shouldn’t forget that 50,000 hunters did sign a petition saying they would break the law and not abide by the Hunting Act; that’s organised criminality. I seem to remember quite a lot of mass disobedience in Parliament Square on one of the Countryside Alliance marches too.
Another way to look at hunt havoc is to ask the question why the enforcement of wildlife crime and associated disturbance can often seem to be a low policing priority. It is not because the police don’t have the resources – that’s always been the case) – or, as some would have us believe, because it is difficult to enforce. If it is like anti-social behaviour in urban areas, it is simply that it is not a priority.
The breakthrough in thinking for the ‘powers that be’ – of whom I used to be one – on anti-social behaviour was the concept of ‘the broken window syndrome’. We nicked the idea from New York where it was behind their clean up of Times Square, and the theory is simple. If a window is broken on a street and not fixed, graffiti will appear on the wall. Next litter will appear, followed by dumped rubbish. Before you know it drug dealers are standing on the corner and the street is scary and violent.
In New York the police priorities were initially at the very serious end of violent and drug related crime. But they couldn’t cope and it just got worse. The broken window theory changed that – even though resources were slim, they shifted their priorities so there was zero tolerance of all crime. And it worked. By using enforcement and education they changed peoples’ behaviour and created an environment where anti-social behaviour was not accepted. And serious crime reduced too!
What are the lessons for rural police forces? We have recently seen a rural crime wave and rightly there is great concern amongst farmers and residents. There needs to be equal weight in police priorities to stopping the theft of expensive farm machinery and enforcing wildlife legislation and associated anti-social behaviour. If some people think they can get away with hunting with dogs, destroying badger setts, poisoning raptors, threatening people if they speak out, and others see they are sticking two fingers up at the law of the land and getting away with it, it creates a culture leading to an escalation of crime.
This is not a criticism of the police. They do a terrific job in difficult circumstances. But it is timely to consider strategic policing priorities in rural areas. Hunt havoc is the rural “broken window”.
