Hampshire police introduce a new volunteer scheme to reduce animal suffering across the UK, focusing on deer involved in road incidents
Hampshire: On November 21, Hampshire police shared their new Humane Animal Dispatch (HAD) volunteer scheme. They had 17 other police forces join in to learn about it.
The HAD volunteers help the police when deer get hit on the roads. They’re on call 24/7, which means they can respond quickly to these incidents.
By using volunteers, the police can make sure the deer don’t suffer unnecessarily. They can put the animals down in a humane way, which is really important.
This year alone, HAD volunteers have been called out 130 times in Hampshire. That’s a lot of lives they’ve helped save!
In comparison, firearms officers were only needed 21 times. So, you can see how valuable this volunteer scheme is.
Inspector Stuart Ross, who’s been leading the charge, said the volunteers are a huge help. They’re experts and make sure animals don’t suffer after a collision.
He also mentioned that this scheme has saved the police around £47,095. That’s a nice chunk of change!
Hampshire started this program about 15 years ago and is now sharing it with other police forces across the country. Derbyshire is already looking into it as a best practice.
To join the HAD team, volunteers need to have certain qualifications. There’s even a specific award they must complete to be part of the scheme.
David McAuley, the CEO of The British Deer Society, expressed excitement about the national rollout of the HAD scheme. He hopes to raise funds to help train more volunteers in the future.
