Drone footage captures men catapulting pheasants

Poachers have been filmed catapulting pheasants in footage from drones which were operated by police-trained volunteers.

The incident happened on farmland at Linkenholt, north Hampshire, on 7 October.

One of the men, from Dibden Purlieu, was later visited by police and ordered to complete a victim awareness course, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said.

The civilian drone project, funded by police and local authorities, is one of the first of its kind in the country, the force added.

The video shows at least three men taking aim at wild birds from the windows of a Honda CR-V.

The car is tracked by the drone while being driven over fields and crops, leaving tyre tracks.

The 29-year-old driver admitted his involvement and was dealt with by way of a community resolution, police said.

He was also issued with a Community Protection Notice Warning which could eventually lead to a prosecution.

The innovative rural crime project includes a "bespoke course" for civilian drone operators, officers said.

It has been funded by Hampshire and Isle of Wight's Police and Crime Commissioner, Test Valley Borough Council and North Wessex Downs National Landscape.