Saboteur advice lands before the season: what shoots need to know
Free Countryside Alliance guidance gives the shooting community a plan for disruption: the drill, the offence and the police powers, in one downloadable sheet
Credit: Countryside Alliance
The shooting community heads into the new season with a practical answer to an old problem. The Countryside Alliance has published Saboteurs and Shooting – Practical Advice for Shoot Managers, a free guidance sheet on handling disruption, warning that targeted attacks on shoots at the start of the season are a recurring problem.
What has been published?
The sheet, published on 28 July, covers the arrangements a shoot should make before the season starts and the actions to be carried out on the day by guns, beaters, pickers-up and anyone else working, if a shoot is disrupted. The Alliance says it is important “that the police are informed” when a criminal offence is being committed, “and that they then take the necessary action”, and that any criminal allegation will need to be corroborated with film footage to assist a prosecution.
What does the law actually allow?
Trespass on its own is a civil matter, but aggravated trespass, where a person trespasses on land intending to intimidate, obstruct or disrupt a lawful activity taking place there or on adjoining land, is a criminal offence under section 68 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. The offence also lets a shoot bring its own case against identifiable individuals, including for damages and costs.
Under section 60AA of the same Act, police can require the removal of face coverings in designated areas, and failing to comply is itself an offence. Since 2017, a change the Alliance says it campaigned for, authorisation can be given orally to constables on the ground rather than in advance and in writing. The Alliance says police do not always use those powers, and urges shoots to press for coverings to be removed so offenders can be identified.
Why does it matter across the sector?
Almost everyone in the show community touches a shoot day somewhere: as a Gun, a beater, a picker-up, a keeper or a business serving them. A shared, published drill means the season starts with everyone knowing their role if disruption arrives, and the legal framework means it is handled by identification and prosecution rather than confrontation in the field.
What happens next
Shoots are encouraged to read the guidance and brief their teams before opening day; the sheet is free from the Alliance’s website. The full report, including the detail of the police powers and the Alliance’s advice on footage, is on ShootingUK, linked first below.
Useful links
ShootingUK – the full story of the guidance and the law behind it
Countryside Alliance – the announcement of the shoot managers’ guidance
The guidance sheet (PDF) – the practical advice in full, free to download
Frequently asked questions
Is saboteur disruption on a shoot illegal?
Trespass alone is a civil matter, but aggravated trespass, trespassing with intent to intimidate, obstruct or disrupt a lawful activity, is a criminal offence under section 68 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.
Can police make saboteurs remove face coverings?
Yes, in designated areas under section 60AA of the 1994 Act, and since 2017 authorisation can be given orally to officers on the ground, according to the Countryside Alliance.
Where can a shoot get the guidance?
The sheet is free to download from the Countryside Alliance website, and shoots are encouraged to brief their teams on it before the season opens.
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