Review lanched into police’s response to Warwickshire Hunt – but campaigners say the right questions are not being asked

But hunt protesters have already raised concerns that the right questions are not being asked, and they have little confidence that the review will restore confidence in Warwickshire Police.

The review has been commissioned by Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Seccombe, who says it will "help to provide...informed insight into the effectiveness of Warwickshire Police’s response to such matters, enabling recommendations for improved practices in future hunting seasons."

It follows the decision in December 2022 by Warwickshire Police to issue a Community Protection Notice (CPN) to the Warwickshire Hunt for anti-social behaviour and disregard for road safety.

This was due to be appealed by Warwickshire Hunt but a protocol to address road safety matters was agreed prior to that being heard. It meant the CPN was dropped, which caused anger among some communities and hunt protesters.

In March, Mr Seccombe said that, should he be re-elected, to an independent report to look at the issuing of the protocol and make

recommendations to the force.

Following his re-election in May, he has appointed David Peet to lead the review, which started yesterday (Monday, September 30).

Mr Seccombe said: “I am keen to get an independent view of how Warwickshire Police handles matters relating to hunting and anti-social use of the roads, in order that the public can have an informed insight into these matters. This is vital for wider public confidence in how the police respond to hunt-related matters and should help to identify any additional measures Warwickshire Police can take to improve their response further.

“Ultimately, I want to ensure that the public has full confidence that the force has an independent and impartial operational stance to hunting-related activity and that members of the public know how to report any concerns about potential breaches of the law. I expect the review to conclude later this autumn and will publish the findings once I have received them.”

However, West Midlands Hunt Saboteurs claim the review into hunting in Warwickshire is not asking the right questions

A spokesperson for West Midlands Hunt Saboteurs said: "In our opinion the review should be asking ‘why was the CPN dropped in the first place and who authorised it?’, ‘What are the contents of the secret protocol?’, ‘Why was a secret protocol deemed an appropriate replacement for the CPN? Why wasn’t the protocol legally binding? Why were the contents kept secret from the community when the original CPN as the name suggests was meant to protect the community?’ Why didn’t the community have any involvement or say in the protocol? ‘Did the Warwickshire Hunt have any involvement in writing the secret protocol?"

"These are the questions that the community really wants to know the answers to and since none of them appear to be part of the review we have little confidence that the review will restore anyone's confidence in Warwickshire Police’s ability to fairly deal with the issue of fox hunting.”

The full terms of reference for the review have been published on the OPCC website and can be found at: https://www.warwickshire-pcc.gov.uk/key-information/holding-the-police-to-account/terms-of-reference-review-of-policing-of-activities-related-to-hunting/

Findings are expected to be published later in the autumn.