Two men convicted of night poaching

While you were sleeping on Christmas Day…our officers were putting in a stop on two armed poachers on Titsey Hill in Oxted.

Shortly before midnight on 25 December, a man was spotted sneaking through the woods carrying a large sack. No, it wasn’t Father Christmas running late to deliver a final present...This man was not alone: he was accompanied by a second man with a firearm.

Our armed response officers turned out, guided from the skies by our colleagues in NPAS (National Police Air Service), and with perfect teamwork they tracked and detained the men in an armed stop.

Officers seized an air rifle and a bag of dead pheasants, and Anas Abdulla Azizi, 21 (28/06/2002) of Brighton, and Sirwan Muhammad Salih, 41, (11/02/1983) of Derby, were arrested for night poaching. Both pleaded guilty on Tuesday, 21 May at Guildford Crown Court, and were ordered to pay compensation.

Poachers often operate at night, using lights and firearms to hunt animals such as pheasants, rabbits, and deer in farmland or woodland. This offence can have a serious financial impact on gamekeepers, farmers, and landowners, who often put themselves at risk trying to confront armed offenders by themselves. If you believe a poaching offence is taking place, call 999.