Operation Cockerel was set up in 2007 to tackle the thefts of pheasants poults and partridge chicks following a large number of crimes valued in the region of £60,000 in the county.

Landowners were reporting losing both poults and chicks as well as valuable feeding equipment and other game.

Operation Cockerel saw police step up patrols in key areas, nominate dedicated officers to act as specific points of contact and increase work to forge closer links with the shooting fraternity, local breeders and game dealers in Norfolk.

The operation aims to ensure early intervention and to increase awareness of this type of crime among both shoot owners and keepers and members of the public.

A Country Watch scheme is also in operation. It works on a “ring-round” basis to pass information quickly to relevant parties.

A number of successes have already been seen since the operation started with a major increase in quality intelligence passed to us.

We are working to target those responsible for thefts and will continue to offer advice and support when required. Covering such a large geographical area and keeping a close eye on remote locations where the birds are kept is no easy task. but through information-sharing and vigilance, we can work together to combat this problem.