A Totton river keeper was stabbed to death after asking illegal fishermen to stop poaching on his river.
Hampshire Constabulary is stepping up its approach to dealing with illegal fishing on rivers around Southampton after a rise in abuse against river keepers.
Pete Farrow, secretary to the Hampshire Riverkeepers Association, has spoken of his experience with criminals operating on local rivers in Totton.
He explained: “The poachers are very aggressive towards individual riverkeepers – I have been threatened to be stabbed before.
“Colleagues have been shot with catapults. One keeper kept having lead ball bearings catapulted through his windows, and his work vehicle was continually vandalised.
Today, they targeted a specific individual and stabbed him to death, in the past they have gone out and killed hares and deer and wildfowl and dumped the dead animals on the land. It’s just sickening.
“As a riverkeeper you are the guardian of the river.
“We look after the river and tend to everything that lives and breathes around it, under and above the water, as well as looking after our clients and stakeholders.”
The force has echoed Pete’s message and stated that poachers have a significant financial impact on the local fishing industry, and many engage in violence, anti-social behaviour threats, and intimidation.
Operation Traverse has been running for a number of years locally, and sees police work with partners such as the Environment Agency (EA) and The Angling Trust to catch offenders and reduce poaching on Hampshire rivers.
Acting Sergeant Matt Thelwell has said that the sad incident was reported to police and some arrest have already been made.
Sgt Thelwell added: “What we would ask people to do is phone us and report any suspicious activity.
“What we would also ask people to do is not to approach the people involved in these offences or antagonise them – just to report their behaviour and any vehicle that maybe linked to them.
“We can then conduct an official enquiry through the police.
Leave a Reply