Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC)
PO Box 473
Sale
M33 0BW
Subject: Formal Complaint Regarding Warwickshire Police’s Inaction on Law-breaking Activities by the Warwickshire Hunt and an appeal for an Independent Review and Investigation.
Dear Sir/Madam
As a concerned Warwickshire resident, I am writing to you to formally lodge a complaint against Warwickshire Police. Their lack of response to public complaints and inaction against documented incidents of illegal, anti-social behaviour and dangerous use of roads by the Warwickshire Hunt is appalling.
This letter is also an appeal for an independent review and investigation. There has been a lack of appropriate response and action from the police in regard to submissions of evidence, and witness statements which highlights the unlawful hunting activities and the overall dangerous behaviour of the hunt.
There has been a substantial amount of documented evidence, submitted to the Warwickshire’s Rural Crime Team over a three-year period. Evidence includes hunting activities, dangerous use of roads by hunt participants and hounds, and overwhelming incidents of public safety hazards which is impacting not only rural communities but the general public as a whole.
Despite being supplied with evidence and appeals from the public, the Warwickshire Police Force have been reluctant to take action. Enforcing delays, redirections and an apparent unwillingness to take this situation seriously. Instead, deflecting and ignoring requests and evidence.
This has only escalated since the Community Protection Notice, which was issued in December 2022, was withdrawn in August 2023. The Warwickshire Hunt continually trespass on land and when confronted by alarmed landowners they merely respond with a lack of consideration and discontent as they continue about their illegal activity.
The years of anti-social behaviour and aggression from the hunt and lack of action by Warwickshire Police has now culminated in national television coverage on Monday 04th March on Channel 4: www.channel4.com/news/fox-hunting-group-avoid-court-with secret-police-deal
The continuation of evidence was submitted to the Rural Crime Team and on the 07th February 2024, senior police officers, which included Assistant Chief Constable David Gardner and Chief Inspector Steve Davies, along with a member of their legal team, reviewed the evidence. There were 29 pieces of evidence which were categorised as High, Medium or Low. The evidence detailed hazardous road use and the impact it has been having on the community.
Despite overwhelming evidence, senior officers stated that there is not enough to warrant further action by the police as the evidence was submitted by hunt saboteurs and that there needed to be reports from members of the local community.
Members of the community have reported the activities of the Warwickshire Hunt to the police. Many landowners have complained about trespass and anti-social behaviour but the police have never responded or taken action. However, it should not matter who submits evidence if there is clear raw footage that proves the law has been broken. This is just another example of how the Warwickshire police have tried to prevent evidence being submitted.
The police have made a statement saying that the secret protocol is far wider reaching than the CPN ever was, however, the protocol is not legally binding and the Warwickshire Hunt’s behaviour is a clear indication that it is not working. The general public, Labour MP Matt Western and Chief Superintendent Matthew Longman have requested the details of the protocol, but the Warwickshire police are hiding behind Section 32 of the Freedom of Information Act in order to not make the document public.
The lack of decisive action by the Warwickshire police and their reluctance to work with or for the public is extremely worrying, and with the Warwickshire Hunt continually breaking the law and putting local road users in grave danger I am extremely concerned that this situation is spiralling out of control. Further to this, Freedom of Information requests are continued to be ignored and the police appear to have closed ranks and are not responding to the public’s cries for help. I am also concerned that the Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Seccombe, is not holding the police force to account, as he should. His admission of being a member of the Countryside Alliance and his extensive friends list of Warwickshire Hunt associates on social media is also a cause for concern.
I therefore seek the IOPC’s intervention to investigate the handling of our complaints by Warwickshire Police, the apparent systemic failures within the department to address illegal hunting and dangerous road use, and the overall lack of accountability for such grave matters. We request a thorough review of the evidence that has been submitted over the years, an examination of the police’s response or lack thereof, and appropriate disciplinary action against those found neglecting their duties. Furthermore, we urge the IOPC to recommend changes within Warwickshire Police to ensure that future reports of similar nature are handled promptly, effectively, and with the seriousness they warrant.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. I trust that the IOPC will take the necessary steps to address our concerns and restore our confidence in the police force’s ability to uphold the law and protect the community.
Yours Faithfully
