THREE men have been arrested for poaching and hare coursing offences in the Salisbury area.

The men, aged 22, 27 and 35, were arrested yesterday afternoon (Wednesday) on suspicion of daytime trespass in pursuit of poaching. They’ve all been released under investigation.

The arrests are part of Wiltshire Police’s wider operation, Op Artemis, to counter all forms of poaching and sits within the national operation ‘Project Poacher’.

Community Policing Sergeant Michael Standing said: “We want to send all poachers a clear message that Wiltshire Police is committed to tackling coursing and poaching. Wiltshire is not a soft touch and we will seek to prosecute individuals who seek to commit poaching related offences within the county where evidence exists.

“Wiltshire is a rural county and we want to reassure those in our most rural areas that we are dedicated to tackling crimes that affect them the most. Rural issues like poaching have an undeniably negative impact on farmers and gamekeepers quality of life.”

Please report all incidents of poaching to the police on 101 or 999 if a crime is in progress.