Awards

THE AWARDS We have a new nationally-rated incompetent for the Wiggum award who should really know better! This award is aimed at the most incompetent act of policing and is starting to become rather famous in the law-enforcement sector, so a big hello to all those police officers out there who are too overworked to police a hunt ban but not too overworked to surf the anti-hunt websites!

Chief Wiggum

The Chief Wiggum Award goes to...

Nigel Yeo, Assistant Chief Constable of Sussex Police for asking Alastair Jackson, the Director of the Master of Fox-Hounds Association, for advice on how to enforce the hunting ban!

To give the poor guy a break, this was reported in the Daily Telegraph on the 9th of January 2005, which is really The Sun for the middle classes! However, the side of me that likes a good conspiracy theory suspects the advice was sought, not for any genuine reason, but simply to be leaked to the papers to discredit the new Act. Surely, there are no such pro-hunt police officers in the SE who would dream of such a thing?

According to the report, Nigel Yeo wrote "You will be aware that one of the recommendations for people who intend to continue country pursuits is that they stop fox hunting once it becomes banned on 18 February and convert to drag hunting or hunting of the 'clean boot' as it is referred to. In preparing the guidance for the police service as I am bound to do, I would greatly welcome your assistance in any guidance I can give to police officers on how to identify the difference between these and fox hunting."

It is of no surprise to anyone that Alastair Jackson was decidedly unhelpful and is reported as replying "With respect, I would consider it almost impossible for anyone to know if a pack of hounds was hunting a fox or a drag. I do not envy you your job." (He probably couldn't stand the pay-cut for a start.)

This is the equivalent to a beat officer going up to a gang of youths on an estate and asking "I'm not sure if you're planning on breaking the law, but if you are, what signs should I look out for so I can arrest you?" Hmmm... I wonder how a gang would react to that question?

Hunting is not rocket science - if there are any police out there who are willing to enforce the new Hunting Act, may I suggest you contact your local HSA or LACS representative and not ask for help from the people who are directly opposed to the Act. Any advice required on the more complex Criminal Justice Act of 1994 is also available from your local HSA representative!

Elmer Fudd

The Elmer Fudd Award goes to...

The hunt supporters of the Atherstone, pictured below. How many laws can one person break at the same time? 1. Deliberately obstructing a public highway. 2. Carrying passengers in the boot which is dangerous and her insurance company would be pleased to hear about. It's funny how these hunting people claim to care about the rural community and then will quite happily block public roads causing huge tailbacks and stopping farmers, vets, doctors etc. from going about their business.

This isn't why she is being given the award however. After we had successfully split the pack, she drove sharply up behind us and and sat on her car horn! As anyone who actually KNOWS anything about hunting will agree, she was actually helping us with this action. The more noise she made, the less the hounds could hear the rallying calls of the huntsman!