But a shepherd-turned-sergeant is using technology to track down killer dogs that have savagely sheep after a series of attacks on cattle.

Sgt Darren Walshaw, who was born and raised on a farm, now leads the Kent Police Rural Crime Task Force after 16 years as a herder.

He uses forensic science to improve sheep safety in the county and makes sure any dead or injured found with bite marks are swabbed for DNA so they can be compared to any suspect dog.

A series of free-roaming dog attacks ensued on livestock, resulting in multiple deaths or stressed pregnant ewes aborting their lambs.

A case involving dog DNA has led to a successful lawsuit for the owner. Many other owners confessed to this once they were told police obtained a DNA sample from the dead animal.

Sergeant Walshaw said: “We are getting some important reports of cattle becoming concerned when dogs are left on a leash, so there is a lot of conflict between dog owners and farmers.

“When we get dead or injured animals, we use DNA and swab the injured area. If we identify a dog, we can compare its DNA to that of the bite and prove that the dog caused it. with just about all reported cases.

“We first talk to the owner to see his attitude, and if there is any denial, we do the DNA sample.

“Last year we successfully performed a DNA comparison through court.

“Most of the time an owner says it wasn’t my dog, but when we say we have DNA they say it has to be.”

Live investigations saw DNA swabs taken from sheep as late as last Saturday, when it was reported that a ram suffered fatal injuries after it was suspected of being attacked by a dog in Shadoxhurst.

Another live investigation where DNA was obtained but the suspicious dog (s) have not yet been found, saw 15 sheep killed or found dead.

Others were injured in three days at Alkham, Dover.

On Saturday, December 4, around 5:50 p.m., the owner of a farm saw a gray dog ​​that looked like a lurcher, in the middle of his sheep. Six sheep died and four were injured.

On the night of December 6, there was a second attack on the farm in which two more sheep were killed and one seriously injured. And at a nearby farm, on December 5, seven sheep were found dead.

Once a dog gets the taste of killing and maiming sheep, it often comes back.

Farmers are legally allowed to shoot at them to protect the herds.

Mr. Walshaw was given a role on the Rural Crime Team within 18 months of joining the force due to his previous experience. Some of the sheep in his care are suspected of having been killed by dogs released for illegal hare racing.

Organized gangs can tear up fields and cross fences to stage hare races which are then broadcast live on social media – with illegal bets.

Mr Walshaw said the force had partnered with police in Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire to rescue hare couriers and other suspected poachers with “ASBOs rural “to try to eradicate it.

Mr Walshaw said: “We use anti-social behavior legislation to issue community protection warnings that this is unacceptable and has a negative impact on the rural community. If caught in other parts of the country. region, it shows that we share the same system. “

If they are caught again, they may receive a community protection notice, which can lead to a court appearance for violation.

Eight of them have been served across the region after 102 warnings were issued since the start of the season in the fall.

Mr Walshaw said his team was dealing with a range of crimes across the countryside without two identical days. Poachers now target deer with lurchers crossed with bull terriers to increase their strength at taking down large animals.

Again, illegal blood sports are often broadcast live online.

Poaching of large carp is a new phenomenon, many of which are taken by Eastern Europeans for food, or even stolen to supply fishing lakes. The largest specimens can fetch thousands of pounds.

Illegal puppy farms remain a problem, with breeders keeping the puppies in terrible cramped conditions, but showing them to customers in better places, claiming they were bred there.

The theft of expensive farm machinery, often shipped overseas, is still a problem. But this summer has seen a new wave of crime, with strawberry and cherry growers stripped of all their stock overnight, only to be sold at car fairs or by roadside vendors.