Today staff from Malvern Hills Trust welcomed Steve Mackay, West Mercia’s Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner, for a visit to the Hills.
Steve lived in Malvern for a while and has visited the Hills many times over the years. He said that just to see the Hills is lovely.
As well as our CEO Deborah and Ranger Tim, Pete Meredith (Rural and Business Officer at South Worcester Problem Solving Hub) and Amy Miles (West Mercia Engagement Officer), there was our grazier John Chance and Andrea Calversbert from the National Sheep Association, which is based near the Three Counties Showground.
Steve was interested to see John Chance’s cattle and sheep. He engaged with both a belligerent dog walker with five dogs running about off the lead, to a lovely couple with a dog on a lead.
In conversation we covered a range of rural crimes:
- Dogs worrying sheep
- Fly tipping
- Littering
- Illegal mountain biking.
It is Rural Crime Week next week, and we will be sharing our own as well as partners' messages about preventing rural crime in our iconic landscape.
Deborah Fox, CEO of Malvern Hills Trust, said “Grazing is by far the best way to keep the Malvern Hills and Commons accessible for people. Graziers are faced with regular worrying of livestock by dogs and have to deal with numerous injuries and a number of stock fatalities every year.
The public wants us to do more and The Trust has few penalties it can apply. We look to the police to take action under The Dogs Protection of Livestock Act (1953), which makes it an offence to allow a dog to worry livestock, and you can be punished with a fine of up to £1,000. New legislation via the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill aims to strengthen penalties and police powers for livestock worrying.
The Trust’s Parliamentary Bill seeks the ability for the Trust to apply fixed penalty notices for breaching its byelaws and require people to give us their name and address. It also seeks to enable us to license business uses, like commercial dog walking."
