I would like to assure you that the Government takes all cases of wildlife crime very seriously, and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) works closely with the Home Office on all matters relating to rural crime in England.
I am pleased that the Government is providing more funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) - in 2022, Defra more than doubled its funding of the NWCU from a total of £495,000 over the three previous years to £1.2 million for the three-year period of 2022-25.
Any case of cruelty towards any animal is completely unacceptable and I would fully welcome prosecutions against anyone found to have caused unnecessary suffering to an animal. As you may already know, under the provisions in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, The Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 and Animal Welfare Act 2006, there are a range of offences around injuring and inflicting unnecessary suffering on wildlife. Additionally, the misuse of catapults may also constitute anti-social behaviour. The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 already provides the police, local authorities and other local agencies with a range of flexible tools and powers that they can use to respond quickly and effectively to anti-social behaviour.
However, I am aware that catapults do have some legitimate uses, for example when fishing and at present the Government considers that existing legislation provides the correct balance between protecting the public from the small number of individuals who misuse catapults, while also allowing the public to enjoy legitimate pastimes. As such, the Government does not have any plans to prevent the possession in public of catapults at this time, however, it continues to keep all relevant legislation under review in the interests of public safety.
The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act empowers and equips the police and courts with the powers they need to combat hare coursing. Regarding badgers, the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 restricts the killing, injuring, or taking of badgers or interference with their setts. The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 provides protection against certain methods of killing.
As always, if you believe that someone has broken the law in relation to hares, badgers, or indeed any other animal, I would urge you to report the matter to the police who can investigate further.