Tuesday, December 28, 2004
MAJORITY - 'HUNT BAN DIFFICULT TO POLICE'
3:44pm (UK)
Majority Say 'Hunting Ban Difficult to Police' By Andrew Woodcock, PA Political Correspondent
More than three-quarters of voters expect the ban on hunting with dogs in England and Wales to be difficult to police, according to a poll released today.
And just 4% say that enforcing the ban – due to come into effect on February 18 – should be Home Secretary Charles Clarke’s top priority, above issues like immigration, drugs, terrorism and anti-social behaviour.
The poll, commissioned by the pro-hunting Countryside Alliance, came after a Scottish court found a huntsman not guilty of hunting with dogs under the different ban already in force north of the border. He argued he was not hunting foxes, but flushing them out to be shot.
Some 77% of those questioned in the poll agreed the ban introduced by last month’s Hunting Act would prove “confusing and difficult to police”.
Only 11% thought that environment minister Alun Michael was right to describe the legislation as “easy to understand and easy to enforce”.
Huntsmen have said that they intend to use loopholes in the new law to continue their sport legally following the implementation of the ban, and the Countryside Alliance today published guidance on how to do so.
It is thought likely that some will argue that it is impossible to prove that their intention when riding to hounds is to catch and kill a fox.
The poll also found 4% of those questioned believed enforcing the ban should be Mr Clarke’s top priority next year, against 34% who said asylum and illegal immigration, 33% anti-social behaviour, 13% tackling drugs and 10% the war on terror.
Countryside Alliance chief executive Simon Hart said: “The Hunting Act is based on prejudice and bigotry, rather than any logical attempt to improve animal welfare, and as such was always going to be deeply flawed.“The public is clear that the Home Secretary has far more important issues to deal with than enforcing confusing legislation driven through Parliament to satisfy the class warriors on Labour’s backbenches.“Alun Michael has turned himself inside out trying to defend the indefensible and now we have evidence that he is not just dishonest – he is unconvincing as well.
The public understands that Labour MPs have put the police and the Crown Prosecution Service in an impossible situation by forcing through unworkable, unenforceable legislation.”
TNS questioned 1,042 adults between 21 and 23 December.
Majority Say 'Hunting Ban Difficult to Police' By Andrew Woodcock, PA Political Correspondent
More than three-quarters of voters expect the ban on hunting with dogs in England and Wales to be difficult to police, according to a poll released today.
And just 4% say that enforcing the ban – due to come into effect on February 18 – should be Home Secretary Charles Clarke’s top priority, above issues like immigration, drugs, terrorism and anti-social behaviour.
The poll, commissioned by the pro-hunting Countryside Alliance, came after a Scottish court found a huntsman not guilty of hunting with dogs under the different ban already in force north of the border. He argued he was not hunting foxes, but flushing them out to be shot.
Some 77% of those questioned in the poll agreed the ban introduced by last month’s Hunting Act would prove “confusing and difficult to police”.
Only 11% thought that environment minister Alun Michael was right to describe the legislation as “easy to understand and easy to enforce”.
Huntsmen have said that they intend to use loopholes in the new law to continue their sport legally following the implementation of the ban, and the Countryside Alliance today published guidance on how to do so.
It is thought likely that some will argue that it is impossible to prove that their intention when riding to hounds is to catch and kill a fox.
The poll also found 4% of those questioned believed enforcing the ban should be Mr Clarke’s top priority next year, against 34% who said asylum and illegal immigration, 33% anti-social behaviour, 13% tackling drugs and 10% the war on terror.
Countryside Alliance chief executive Simon Hart said: “The Hunting Act is based on prejudice and bigotry, rather than any logical attempt to improve animal welfare, and as such was always going to be deeply flawed.“The public is clear that the Home Secretary has far more important issues to deal with than enforcing confusing legislation driven through Parliament to satisfy the class warriors on Labour’s backbenches.“Alun Michael has turned himself inside out trying to defend the indefensible and now we have evidence that he is not just dishonest – he is unconvincing as well.
The public understands that Labour MPs have put the police and the Crown Prosecution Service in an impossible situation by forcing through unworkable, unenforceable legislation.”
TNS questioned 1,042 adults between 21 and 23 December.
