Senior Police Officer Slammed for Comparing Trail Hunting to Drug Dealing

The police officer in charge of tackling illegal hunting has come under fire for comparing trail hunting to serious crimes like burglary and drug dealing.

Chief Superintendent Matt Longman, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) lead on illegal hunting, has been accused of “blatant prejudice” and undermining public trust in policing. This comes after repeatedly aligning himself with anti-hunting activists and publicly pushing for a ban on trail hunting, a legal activity.

Incredibly, Mr Longman has defended his stance by claiming, “I’m never asked if I’m impartial about burglary or drug dealing”, as if trail hunting, a lawful and regulated pastime, belongs in the same category.

The British Hound Sports Association (BHSA) is now considering referring Mr Longman to the police watchdog, due to his lack of neutrality by actively engaging with anti-hunt campaigners while refusing to attend lawful trail hunting events.

Mr Longman’s close ties with the League Against Cruel Sports (LACS) have been exposed in a series of Freedom of Information requests. League members referred to him as a “hero”, and in one message he responded: “If the collective approach to reformed hunting has been well received at your AGM, then that is good news because it is overdue. Work continues!”

That’s not the language of a neutral police officer. That’s the language of an activist.

Mr Longman first caused a stir during the last general election when he gave a keynote speech at the launch of the Time for Change campaign - a politically motivated effort to ban trail hunting. In his speech, he claimed the law was “not working” and called hunting “a smokescreen for illegal activity”.

Soon after, former Defence Secretary Ben Wallace called for his removal, warning against a “two-tier policing” system where lawful countryside activities are treated as criminal based solely on opinion. This isn’t the first time Wallace has clashed with hunt saboteurs; he has previously argued that those who “intimidate” and “threaten” others have no place on government land. “The only people who should be masked and camouflaged on MOD land are Armed Forces personnel training to defend the UK,” he says.

Despite low conviction rates and limited evidence of widespread offending, Mr Longman continues to assert that hunts are “regularly offending”. Meanwhile, lawful hunts report that they are being ignored, while those seeking to shut them down are given a front-row seat at the policy table.

Oliver Hughes, Managing Director of the BHSA, said there are “serious questions about balance and fairness”, particularly given Mr Longman’s new role chairing the NPCC’s illegal hunting, poaching and hare coursing Tactical Delivery Group.

“Trail hunting is a legal activity, with clear protocols and oversight,” Hughes said. “Such comparisons are unhelpful and risk undermining public confidence in impartial policing.”

Despite these concerns, Devon and Cornwall Police dismissed a complaint about Mr Longman’s conduct earlier this month. The BHSA says it took nearly two months for the complaint to even be logged, and more than five months to get a full response - a process they say fell well short of acceptable standards.

“We are now reviewing our next steps,” Hughes said, “including the possibility of referring this matter to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.”

So far, Mr Longman remains defiant. “I have repeatedly made the point very publicly that my role is not one of being pro or anti-hunt, I am simply anti-hunt criminal,” he said, while continuing to appear at campaign events and engage with lobby groups pushing for a ban.

What’s clear is this: if policing is to retain the public’s confidence, officers must be seen to act fairly - not favour one side of a political debate over another.