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Home Office

Answer

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) arrests, (b) prosecutions and (c) convictions there have been under the (i) Hares Act 1848, (ii) Night Poaching Act 1828, (iii) Game Act 1831, (iv) Game Licences Act 1860, (v) Ground Game Act 1880 and (vi) Deer Act 1991 in the last 30 years. [194304] Paul Goggins: I have been asked to reply. Information collected centrally on arrests is available only by main offence group for "notifiable offences" and does not extend to individual offence level. The information contained in the table gives the number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for offences under the: (i) Hares Act 1848, (ii) Night Poaching Act 1828, (iii) Game Act 1831, (iv) Game Licences Act 1860, (v) Ground Game Act 1880 and (vi) Deer Act 1991, England and Wales 1983 to 2002. Data for these offences prior to 1983 is not available on the Home Office Court Proceedings database. Statistics for 2003 will be published on 18 November. Number of defendants proceeded against and found guilty at all courts for certain offences, England and Wales, 1983 to 19921 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. 1983 1984 1985 Offence description Principal Proceeded Found guilty Proceeded Found guilty Proceeded Found guilty statute against against against Selling hares out of season Hares -- -- -- -- -- -- Preservation Act 1892, Section 2 Taking or destroying game Night 342 304 414 373 368 325 or rabbits on lands etc. by Poaching Act night or entering lands at 1828, Section night to take or destroy 1 game Dealer or other person Game Act 1831 27 25 8 8 8 7 having game in possession section 4 as out of season amended by the Game Act 1970 Sale of game by persons not Game Act 3 3 7 3 1 1 licensed to kill or sell 1831, Section game 25 Private individuals etc. Game Act -- -- -- -- -- -- buying game from persons 1831, Section not licensed as dealers 27 as amended by the Game Act 1970 Dealer buying game from Game Act -- -- -- -- -- -- unlicensed person 1831, Section 28 Laying poison to destroy or Game Act 149 133 104 89 83 70 injure game, killing game 1831, illegally, killing or Sections 3, taking without certificate, 12, 23 and 24 taking or destroying the eggs of game, wild fowl etc. or having eggs so taken in possession Offences against game laws Game Licences 172 170 150 146 143 135 Act 1860 Killing ground game by Ground Game 3 2 4 3 -- -- night or with poison act 1880, Section 6 Offence against killing or Deer Act 1991 51 38 30 26 33 24 injury to deer by shooting, (replaces trap, snares etc. provisions under Deer Act 1963 and Deer Act 1980) Total 747 675 717 648 636 562 1986 1987 Offence description Principal statute Proceeded against Found guilty Proceeded against Found guilty Selling hares out of season Hares Preservation -- -- -- -- Act 1892, Section 2 Taking or destroying game Night Poaching Act 341 303 324 294 or rabbits on lands etc. by 1828, Section 1 night or entering lands at night to take or destroy game Dealer or other person Game Act 1831 11 11 6 4 having game in possession section 4 as out of season amended by the Game Act 1970 Sale of game by persons not Game Act 1831, -- -- 3 3 licensed to kill or sell Section 25 game Private individuals etc. Game Act 1831, -- -- -- -- buying game from persons Section 27 as not licensed as dealers amended by the Game Act 1970 Dealer buying game from Game Act 1831, -- -- -- -- unlicensed person Section 28 Laying poison to destroy or Game Act 1831, 66 59 72 58 injure game, killing game Sections 3, 12, 23 illegally, killing or and 24 taking without certificate, taking or destroying the eggs of game, wild fowl etc. or having eggs so taken in possession Offences against game laws Game Licences Act 100 90 64 61 1860 Killing ground game by Ground Game act 2 -- 1 1 night or with poison 1880, Section 6 Offence against killing or Deer Act 1991 26 22 35 22 injury to deer by shooting, (replaces trap, snares etc. provisions under Deer Act 1963 and Deer Act 1980) Total 546 485 505 443 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. 1 These data are on the principal offence basis. Note: Staffordshire police force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

194304; 426 c688-90W;426 c688-94W

Session

2003-04

Subjects

Arrests Convictions Deer Game Hunting Prosecutions Poaching Hares

Legislation

Deer Act 1991

Game Act 1831

Night Poaching Act 1828

Game Licences Act 1860

Ground Game Act 1880

Hares Preservation Act 1892

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk