A police wildlife officer responsible for monitoring hunting in North Yorkshire has faced accusations of a conflict of interest after it emerged she followed the past-time herself.

PC Sarah Ward, wildlife officer for North Yorkshire Police, will no longer deal directly with individual offences, but will give advice instead after a complaint was made about her being biased in favour of those who hunt.

PC Ward denied she was a subscriber to the Badsworth and Bramham Moor Hunt, but conceded in an email that she does “follow hounds occasionally”.

She said she did “not see what my hobbies have to do with members of the public as others wouldn’t tell them they go bike riding”.

In a written police response to the complainant, made public by the Hunt Saboteurs Association (HSA), the force’s professional standards directorate said PC Ward would “no longer deal with similar matters or any other wildlife offences” and said PC Ward had been given “appropriate advice”.

However, a senior officer found that she had dealt with a recent hunt-related case correctly, the letter notes.

Lee Moon, press officer for the HSA, said: “North Yorkshire Police have clearly made the correct decision in removing Sarah Ward from her post as wildlife officer, but the question should be asked what vetting procedure is used as well what training and expected skills are required regarding this post. Clearly there is a failure in the process so far.

“Although hunts ‘could’ be acting legally, any person who rides with a hunt cannot be seen as a fit person to be a police wildlife officer.”

It has called for all the wildlife cases PC Ward has been involved in to be reviewed.

A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said: “Following a complaint regarding a conflict of interests by one of the force’s wildlife officers, the force took the decision to change the officer’s responsibilities. Although they remain in post as the district’s wildlife officer, they do not deal directly with individual offences.

“Rather, they provide expert advice regarding wildlife crimes to colleagues.”