Hertfordshire is "not a soft target" for hare-coursing, top cop Andy Prophet has warned.

And Hertfordshire Constabulary will use every reasonable deployment tactic at its disposal – including drones and the police helicopter – to identify and prosecute offenders.

Hare-coursing is an illegal blood sport where greyhounds, whippets or lurchers chase, catch and kill live hares over private farmland, usually for gambling and entertainment. The chase often ends with the prey being caught, torn apart or killed by exhaustion.

It was in the spotlight during Hertfordshire police and crime commissioner Jonathan Ash-Edwards' latest accountability and performance meeting with Chief Constable Mr Prophet on Tuesday (August 25) as the hare-coursing 'season' gets under way, once farmers have harvested their crops and their fields are empty.

Mr Ash-Edwards acknowledged concerns raised by farmers and landowners, "often because of the wider criminality that can be sitting behind it", and asked the chief constable how the force would address and prevent offences.

In response, Mr Prophet said that the 40% reduction in hare-coursing in Hertfordshire last year had been as a result of police activity.

"The message I want to send – and my teams will certainly want to send – is that Hertfordshire is not a soft target," he said

"If you travel to Hertfordshire committing offences of hare-coursing, you should expect that we will do everything we can to identify and prosecute you.

"Last year we had a number of notable successes in that area."

After acknowledging the national police operation, Operation Galileo, the chief constable highlighted the constabulary's own work with other forces and agencies.

He said: "We will use every reasonable deployment tactic at our disposal to do that – from the police helicopter to specialist drones that my officers and staff can use, to thermal imaging equipment, dedicated off-road vehicles.

"We will target the individual and the spaces at risk of hare-coursing.

"We will arrest offenders. We will seize vehicles. We will seize dogs.

"We will seek prosecutions through the court and seek to apply criminal behaviour orders to control and have consequence on the individuals who do that.

"The harm that is caused to rural businesses through hare-coursing is significant.

"It's a priority for us. It's a hard offence because you can't always be ahead of it. But we'll do everything we can to be ahead of it.

"Our activity last year saw a 40% reduction in Hertfordshire, which is welcome. I'd like to see that reduced further. We're working incredibly hard to try to achieve that."