Balaclava-clad hare coursers terrorised villagers and fire crews after driving their 4x4s through fields in a rampage across rural Cambridgeshire at the weekend
A mob of 30 balaclava-wearing hare coursers who struck terror into the hearts of villagers and even disrupted fire crews are today being hunted by police.
Thugs rampaged through countryside near the Fenland, Cambridgeshire, scaring residents witless, damaging a pair of fire engines, and nicking fuel from a local petrol station all while gunning their 4x4s across the landscape. This weekend chaos was spilt over into the communities of Manea, Wimblington, Welney, Chatteris, Fordham, Ely, Prickwillow, and Littleport.
The hare coursers’ wild antics were captured on a video and shared widely online, featuring them brazenly speeding off-road across the fields, leering and yelling as they went. The mayhem took a sinister turn on Saturday when two fire engines ended up battered during what was supposed to be a routine firefighting drill, as the gang tore past, prompting outrage at this "appalling" and "shocking" wave of criminal behaviour.
Thieves even struck Sisco Service Station in Wimblington, where more than £200 worth of fuel, snacks, and beverages were pinched. The cops are stunned by the sheer brazenness of this hare coursing episode, labelling it "unprecedented".
Key people in the community spoke at the meeting
A packed public meeting gathered in Manea on Monday (January 29), called into session by Tory MP Steve Barclay alongside Manea Councillor Charlie Marks, drawing a crowd of 300 locals. People listened intently as accounts of how these convoys carrying hoards of masked hooligans carved a path of destruction through farm fields and destroyed crops were shared.
Farmer Robert Sears from Manea recounted his unnerving confrontation with lawlessness, witnessing a convoy of 25 4x4s barrelling down his narrow farm track right outside his house. Despite his attempts to stand his ground, Sears described how his "belligerence" was met with aggression when his vehicle was rammed, causing further damage.
He expressed his frustration, saying: "It’s not the damage to our property, it’s the violation suffered. Mr Sears made 999 calls and was told police would attend within three to four hours. He added: "After Mr Sears called emergency services, he was informed that police would arrive within three to four hours." He continued: "That was Saturday morning, I am still waiting – that’s not good enough."
Farmer Matthew Latter had to take drastic measures to protect his family by barricading them inside their home as a group of 70 masked men with 30 vehicles invaded his farm. The family was subjected to over three and a half hours of chaos while he repeatedly contacted the authorities.
He recounted: "We had at least 70 people literally take over our farm from 1.30pm to 4pm. There were 13 4x4s. I called the police three times, I gave the What3Words coordinates of exactly where they were but we didn’t have any response – absolutely zero. My seven-year-old daughter was crying and was utterly terrified."
He questioned the effectiveness of law enforcement, asking: "My question is how bad does it have to be? They had cut through every single gate, moved every single concrete block."
"We have been left with four vehicles dumped, two have been burnt out, one is stuck but despite all of this we have yet to have a police officer come out to us."
Leo Butler, a farmer from Chatteris, faced unprecedented destruction on his land as criminals ravaged his fields. He lamented the lack of police presence, stating: "What I would like to know is where were the police – there were no helicopters, no police cars, not one police officer – nothing. If the police aren’t going to confront these people somebody’s got to."
Cllr Marks, who witnessed some of the criminality in Manea, said it was pure luck that no one had been killed or seriously injured. "We could have been mourning a member of our village today," he said.
Mr Marks claimed one man had a pick axe handle and said: "You can only imagine what that meant if anyone happened to get in their way."
Chief Constable Nick Dean said there was "no excuse" for the lack of response and that a regional-level enquiry is being launched to investigate what went wrong. He added he had gone with his "gut feeling" over the allocation of extra resources and his comment that "I perhaps got it wrong in hindsight" brought laughter from the crowded hall.
Mr Barclay said he was pleased to hear the chief constable acknowledge the police mistakes and a promise there would be a regional-level investigation. Local policing commander Superintendent Ben Martin said: "We understand the damage, concern and fear these incidents have brought to our rural communities and are sorry we were unable to do more to stop the activities of these people at the time. The information we had in advance of this gathering had very limited detail, so a force-wide dispersal order was put in place.
"However, due to the scale of the incident and the multiple locations where offences took place, as well as a significantly demanding weekend elsewhere in the county, meant we didn’t have the resources available to deal with every report we received from members of the public."
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