Equine safeguard scheme is secure
POLICE are reassuring East Hampshire and West Sussex horse owners that a scheme aimed at preventing horse stealing won’t collapse after government withdraws data base funding.
Hampshire and Sussex Horsewatch schemes provide advice and information to prevent horse and rural related theft, and advise horse owners to register their animals and kit on the National Equine Database, NED. Potential buyers can check NED to see if registered items and animals being offered for sale are stolen.
But from the end of September the government will no longer fund the database, making it harder for buyers to check the legitimacy of horses, tack, trailers, feed and other kit.
Former Hampshire Detective Chief Inspector Dave Collings launched Hampshire Horsewatch in 2,000, and since then other counties have followed suit.
He also started the Equine Liason Officer scheme, which sees serving police officers give up their spare time to help and advice horse owners.
He said: “The closure of NED won’t affect Horsewatch, it’ll just make it a bit harder to check whether animals and other items being offered for sale are stolen, and there is another database which is just as effective.”
Sussex Horsewatch spokesman Philip Ball said: “Sussex Horsewatch won’t be affected by this, we won’t be closing, in fact we are expanding.”
For information about Hampshire and Sussex Horsewatch contact Mr Collings on 07867 972868 and Mr Ball on 07836 213810.
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Weather for Petersfield
Sunday 19 May 2013
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