Police are reminding people to respect farmers, landowners and rural businesses after reports of illegal activity in parts of Rushcliffe.
The warning comes as officers continue work under Operation Galileo and Operation Recall, initiatives aimed at tackling rural crime and protecting livestock.
Operation Galileo is a national policing operation focused on preventing and detecting illegal poaching and hare coursing. With sunny weather bringing more people into the countryside, officers say they have received reports of hare coursing in Rushcliffe, along with associated offences including trespass and criminal damage.
Police say those involved in hare coursing are often linked to wider criminality, including rural theft and other acquisitive crime. Suspects were recently seen by officers at a distance but left the area quickly, behaviour police say would not normally be expected from someone legitimately walking a dog or with permission to be on farmland.
• Police warn rural communities after suspected hare coursing in Tollerton
Operation Recall is a partnership project involving police, animal welfare groups, conservation organisations and farming representatives. It aims to reduce livestock attacks and worrying in rural areas.
With sheep now out on fields as the peak lambing season approaches in early spring, police are urging dog owners to keep their pets on leads, under control and away from livestock.
They say grassland and arable farmland may be used for grazing, and signs such as electric fencing, feeding trays or additional fencing may indicate livestock are present. Dog walkers are asked to take extra care in these areas.
Anyone who experiences crime in Nottinghamshire can report it to police using the contact details provided in the force’s information materials.
