September 2014 – Leaked letter reveals Leicestershire Police were advising the Atherstone Hunt

A leaked letter from senior members of the Atherstone Hunt to its supporters revealed that officers from Leicestershire Police had been out undercover with the Atherstone Hunt, were advising them on how to deal with saboteurs and how to avoid being caught hunting foxes

“We were dismayed to hear that plain clothes officers who came out with us last year were told by our foot followers where our hunt staff were, what they were doing and where they were going. The Police were strangers and could easily have been saboteurs”

This is a very revealing paragraph, Atherstone Hunt supporters had obviously told plain clothes police a little too much information. Instead of looking into the Atherstone Hunt for illegal hunting Leicestershire Police chose to advise them to not to give so much information away next time. In other words Leicestershire Police advised the Atherstone Hunt how to get away with breaking the law.

The next paragraph is similar

“To continue having good sport we will all have to do our bit to discourage the saboteurs/monitors by following the advice of the police”

The 2004 Hunting Act banned the hunting of foxes with a pack of hounds. Why then did Leicestershire Police advise the Atherstone Hunt instead of investigating them for illegal hunting? If the Atherstone Hunt weren’t hunting foxes why would they be so bothered about saboteurs for anyway? This letter was our first insight into just how close the ties are between Leicestershire Police and fox hunts such as the Atherstone Hunt in Leicestershire