Give £1 Million to Labour - Get to Train the Police
Police officers secretly trained by animal rights group to enforce hunt ban - Telegraph
In Cumbria the Blencathra hunt, one of the oldest in the country, has regularly been followed by police. The fact the officers were trained by IFAW was confirmed in a letter written by Superintendent Ted Thwaites of Cumbria Police who said:...IFAW were engaged to provide a day of training to selected officers."
Kate Hoey, the Labour MP and chairman of the Countryside Alliance, has written to Craig Mackey, the Chief Constable of Cumbria, to raise concern about the involvement of animal rights activists in 'training' their officers.
"You may not be aware that IFAW is a profit-making limited company, not a charity. IFAW has always been completely opposed to hunting and its offshoot the Political Animal Lobby has been responsible for over £1 million in political donations in support of the anti-hunting campaign," she wrote.
"The idea that this is a suitable organisation to provide "training" for your officers on issues relating to hunting and the Hunting Act is extraordinary.
"I also understand that there has been a significant change in the policing of hunting since the "training" took place. Serious concerns about the change in attitude of Cumbria Constabulary towards hunts in the area and the behaviour of officers on hunting days have been raised with us this season.
"The hunts and wider rural community in Cumbria would, quite rightly, be as shocked as I am that Cumbria Police has been working with animal rights activists."