Nine men have been detained and 10 dogs seized in connection with rabbit hunting incidents in Cambridgeshire and Suffolk.
Officers were first called on February 11 to reports of hares running around south Cambridgeshire.
Neighborhood teams and the Rural Crime Team (RCAT) acted quickly to trace the black Mitsubishi Shogun believed to be involved.
Police pursued the vehicle towards the A1198. When the officer attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver sped away.
The Stinger device was deployed and three tires were deflated. Despite the damage, the vehicle continued on its way and finally came to a stop on Fox Road in Bourne shortly before 1.30pm.
Six people fled from the general, but five were captured soon after. They have since been cited for allegedly fleeing without paying, failing to stop for police, and driving dangerously.
The vehicle and the five dogs found inside were seized on suspicion of being used in a crime.
Hare chasing, where dogs chase and kill hares, is illegal and has been a long-standing concern for farmers and rural communities because of the damage and distress it can cause.
Sergeant Tom Nuttall, from RCAT, said: “Hare walking is an illegal activity that causes significant suffering to wildlife and harms our rural areas. It will not be tolerated here in Cambridgeshire.”
“We will continue to work closely with farmers, landowners and local residents to respond to reports and stop people from committing these crimes.”
Two days later, Suffolk police officers responded to a similar incident following reports of a man suspected of wandering on private property in Westhorpe, near Stowmarket.
Police were called just before 12:30pm on Friday, February 13th. A second call reported the suspects leaving in a blue Jeep.
Investigations revealed the vehicle had been traveling on back roads until joining the westbound A14 at Junction 47, near Elmswell.
Marked and unmarked police cars converged on the scene, assisted by a National Police Air Force helicopter. Rotating road closures were installed in both directions between intersections 43 and 42.
The driver then attempted to evade police by driving the wrong way on the A14 for a short distance.
The jeep then stopped and its occupants fled on foot into woodland near the Howard Estate in Bury St Edmunds. Police gave chase and all four were arrested.
The men, all in their 20s, were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and trespassing and taken to Bury St Edmunds Police Investigation Center for questioning.
Two people were also arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving by failing to stop when instructed to do so. Police confirmed that a Jeep and five dogs were seized as part of the investigation.
Rabbit free-ranging remains a persistent problem in rural areas and is often associated with criminal damage, intimidation of landowners and wider organized criminal activity. Police in the area have identified this as a priority area for enforcement.
The latest incident comes amid increased efforts to tackle wildlife crime, with officers recently intercepting more than 50 poachers and suspected hare trappers in Cambridgeshire during a major weekend operation using drones, air support and barricades.
Two men who admitted allowing hares to roam on farmland in Lincolnshire have also been handed fines and 10-year bans, as courts and police step up their efforts to tackle rural and wildlife crime.
Police said they would continue to use specialist resources and court orders to disrupt hare pursuits, protect wildlife and reassure rural communities.
