Press Release - Police leaders tell MPs: Hunting Act is “not fit for purpose”
For immediate release - 21 October 2025
Senior police officers have told MPs that the law on hunting with hounds is “not fit for purpose” and that “loophole after loophole” continues to prevent the successful prosecution of illegal hunts.
The comments were made at the Hunting Briefing in Parliament, a series of talks hosted by Neil Duncan-Jordan MP and organised by The New Hunting Ban campaign, with this session titled Enforcing the Ban. The event brought together parliamentarians and wildlife crime experts to discuss the realities of policing hunting with hounds and the reforms needed to make the law enforceable.
Neil Duncan-Jordan MP has been at the forefront of the campaign to strengthen the Hunting Act.
Speaking to MPs and guests, Chief Superintendent Matt Longman, National Policing Lead on Hunting with Hounds, and Chief Inspector Kevin Lacks-Kelly, Head of the National Wildlife Crime Unit, provided a frank assessment of the challenges faced by officers on the ground.
Chief Inspector Lacks-Kelly told attendees:
“The issue lies at the point of application of the law. Loophole after loophole is being exploited. The level of policing put into this type of crime is not equitable.”
He revealed that the police currently receive around 400 reports of illegal fox hunting each year, but that the number of prosecutions and convictions remains low due to evidential and legal obstacles.
“It should not be as difficult and as polarised as it is to police hunting with hounds,” he said. “Trying to get a successful investigation is like trying to build a jigsaw – but the pieces are missing.”
Lacks-Kelly announced that from November 2025, hunting with hounds will become a national wildlife crime priority, with a new Priority Tactical Delivery Group, led by Chief Superintendent Longman, to improve coordination, intelligence sharing, and enforcement.
Chief Superintendent Longman said:
“To have this opportunity to talk directly with politicians is progress. Making this a policing priority is a significant step forward.”
He described the current legal framework as “extremely difficult” to enforce, noting that trail hunting remains a smokescreen for illegal activity.
“Taking cases to court is inherently difficult. The question is: have we got the tools to deliver what the public expects? At the moment, I believe trail hunting is being used as a smokescreen.”
Longman also highlighted the impact of hunting on local communities:
“This is not an urban versus rural issue. We receive complaints from people in rural communities — landowners and residents who don’t feel safe, who can’t let their pets out. They expect us to act.”
During the Q&A session, MPs and campaigners discussed issues including trespass by hunts, the exploitation of the “two-dog” rule by stag hunts, and the relationship between police and hunt saboteurs. Longman added that advances in technology, including drones and video evidence, are transforming public understanding of hunting practices, and thanked those on the ground who continue to gather evidence despite personal risk:
“It takes huge courage for people to raise these crimes. There is genuine gratitude towards those prepared to take those risks.”
Concluding the briefing, Chief Superintendent Longman called for “a clear law” that gives police the tools to uphold public expectations, while Chief Inspector Lacks-Kelly thanked MPs for their “perseverance” on the issue.
Neil Duncan-Jordan MP said:
“It’s clear that both the public and the police are being failed by outdated legislation. The Hunting Act was never watertight - and as we’ve heard today, it remains near impossible to enforce.
We’ve written to Defra twice this year, along with more than 60 parliamentarians, calling on the government to deliver on its manifesto commitment to end trail hunting. We’ve yet to receive a reply to either letter.
If the government continues to dither, then we will need to take the initiative to compose the comprehensive and enforceable hunting ban that the public expects and animals deserve.”
Background
The event was the second in The New Hunting Ban’s “Hunting Briefing” series, following Lessons and Loopholes, which examined previous hunting legislation in the UK and Scotland.
The briefings aim to bring together parliamentarians, experts, and law enforcement to shape what campaigners describe as “a watertight ban on hunting with hounds.”
A new Priority Tactical Delivery Group on hunting enforcement will be established in November 2025, led by Chief Superintendent Matt Longman.
Neil Duncan-Jordan MP previously coordinated a cross-party letter to Defra Minister Angela Eagle, urging action on the government’s promised consultation on trail hunting. Letter: https://x.com/NeilForPoole/status/1950590481861099967
