Review into police's handling of Warwickshire Hunt 'could be completed in a couple of weeks'

Philip Seccombe, who is elected to hold the police to account, told the Warwickshire Police & Crime Panel, the body of councillors that oversees his work, that he plans to bring forward the results in time for its next meeting on November 21 prior to the details being published.

Mr Seccombe’s office announced this week that the independent review into Warwickshire Police’s response to anti-social behaviour, road safety and crime reporting in relation to hunting activity had begun and that it was set to conclude at some point in the autumn – before Christmas.

It started with Warwickshire Police issuing Warwickshire Hunt with a community protection notice (CPN), ordering that officers should be provided with a calendar of all events, plus the locations and timings of any road crossings a week before meets.

This was due to be appealed by Warwickshire Hunt but a private protocol to address road safety matters, which has controversially not been made public, was agreed prior to that being heard and the CPN was dropped.

Members of Warwickshire Hunt and hunting saboteurs have regularly clashed since.

Speaking to the Police & Crime Panel in November 2023, wildlife conservationist Dr Denise Taylor claimed that “hunt monitors, wildlife groups and members of the public have submitted overwhelming evidence” to police that “Warwickshire Hunt continues to act unlawfully”, including “at least one reported illegal fox kill”.

Warwickshire Hunt denied any unlawful activity and accused “anti-hunting activists” of making “spurious claims”, while Mr Seccombe insisted that the “accusation of bias” from police “is something I don’t accept” in an interview with the Local Democracy Reporting Service in May 2024.

Now an external pair of eyes will cast an eye over the circumstances with David Peet, who has held the position of chief executive at the offices of PCCs (OPCC) in Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Northamptonshire, commissioned to conduct the review.

“He has the terms of reference, which he is looking at now,” said Mr Seccombe in his update to the panel last week.

“He has done these sorts of things before.

"It is not a big pond of fish to find an independent reviewer from but I have met him and think he will do a good, independent job.

“We have asked him to do it as soon as possible, I am hoping a couple of weeks but I don’t know, it depends how long he wants to take.”

He added: “I am intending to report back to you before it is made public so we will try to coincide that with a meeting rather than calling a special one."

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: "There 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 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/