Andrew Fletcher, BBC 18 Aug 09;
A shake-up of wildlife policing is being called for by conservationists including The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and The Wildlife Trusts.
They say an inconsistent and often poor response to wildlife crime from police means criminals are able to break the law with little fear of detection. But why are so few perpetrators being brought to justice?
Mark Thomas opens a brown cardboard box which has been delivered to the office in Bedfordshire where he works as an investigator for the RSPB, and lifts out the contents.
"It's an absolutely immaculately-plumaged young peregrine.
"It was found in a location in north Wales...we've now got the job of trying to ascertain how this thing died."
It is not a new problem for Mark, who rates this as one of the worst years on record for peregrine persecution.
I accompany him as he takes the falcon to a nearby vet's practice for an X-ray which will provide some clues as to the cause of death.
"Poisoned"
The image reveals no signs of shot wounds, which would have shown up clearly as white circles.
But Mark is suspicious that the "crop" of the bird, a section of the throat close to its mouth, appears full.
"This could be a poisoned bird," he says.
"It looks as if it's had a meal and then has died quite shortly after that.
"So one route now is to send it away for examination."
This will take place at a government laboratory, but only if Mark can make a convincing case for the peregrine to be analysed.
The number of birds which can be examined each year is limited.
Even if this obstacle is overcome and poisoning can be proved, finding the culprit will not be an easy matter.
"We jokingly say it's like running a marathon, and in the final third of the marathon hurdles begin to appear, and when you get right to the finishing line the hurdles have got spikes on, and the spikes have got poisonous tips."
Last year the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) recorded 3,514 reported incidents of wildlife crime, but just 51 convictions.
Expertise "lacking"
Often these offences, such as egg theft or badger baiting, take place in rural locations, making the gathering of evidence difficult.
Securing a conviction usually requires expert knowledge from police and prosecutors.
Nonetheless, conservationists believe more could and should be done.
The RSPB and the Wildlife Trusts are now calling for a fundamental review of the way crimes against wildlife are dealt with in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The charities say the lack of national standards has led to an inconsistent and often poor response to wildlife crime from police.
The RSPB's head of investigations, Ian West, says the quality of the police's response to wildlife crime is very patchy.
"If you've got some people with particular knowledge, such as in Norfolk with a specialist prosecutor, you can get some very good prosecutions.
In other areas they don't have that expertise."
There has already been a review of wildlife crime policing in Scotland which recommended the appointment of a full-time wildlife coordinator within each police force area and minimum standards of investigation.
But the chief constable of Lincolnshire, Richard Crompton, who speaks for the Association of Chief Police Officers on wildlife crime, warns that a similar review in England is unlikely for some time.
"I'm not sure that at the moment our Inspectorate would be able to carry out such a review", he says.
"It might be put on the agenda for later, but at the moment I know they are heavily engaged in a whole range of other reviews which must come before this one."
Mr Crompton does expect to see an increase in the conviction rate in the coming years, though, and says he will try to raise the profile of wildlife crime.
Mark Thomas thinks that with a bit of extra effort from police and prosecutors, those who persecute peregrines and other wild creatures will be less likely to get away with it:
"We just need to all work together, and work better and more efficiently… that is the way to be successful at fighting wildlife crime."
Wildlife crimes pushed to the back of the queue, say conservationists
More than 100 organisations led by RSPB call for review of how police protect Britain's rare animals and plants
Press Association, guardian.co.uk 18 Aug 09;
Conservationists accused police chiefs of pushing crimes against wildlife "to the back of the queue" today.
More than 100 organisations, led by the RSPB, called for a review of how police protect the nation's rare animals and plants.
They said a lack of agreed standards across forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland has led to an inconsistent approach.
A shortage of specialist officers and the low priority given to wildlife crimes means criminals can break the law with little fear of getting caught. Ian West, head of investigations at the RSPB, said the review should be led by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
He said: "Strong laws to protect our wildlife are a sign of a civilised society, but they are only of value if properly enforced."
Wildlife crime was targeted in October 2006 with the formation of the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU). It gathers information about wildlife crime and supports police forces and customs officers across Britain. .
"The NWCU has listed priorities for wildlife crime enforcement in the UK, including the killing and persecution of birds of prey. Yet, in parts of the English uplands and on the edges of some towns and cities, bird of prey persecution continues at unacceptably high levels.
"There are many competing demands on our police, but wildlife crime is all too often pushed to the back of the queue," he added.
Based in East Lothian, the NWCU's most high-profile priority is protecting rare and endangered species such as birds of prey. Members also work to safeguard badgers, fish and hares from baiting, poaching and hunting.
Lesser known priorities include protecting roosting bats and identifying people who steal and damage fresh water pearl mussels.
In June, an annual report revealed just nine people are manning the unit after bosses were unable to secure permanent funding. They have been swamped with tip-offs and other information from police forces, local authorities and charities.
The number of offenders monitored by the unit continued to grow with 1,503 recorded in the last financial year, an increase of 161 on the previous 12 months.
Senior members said they are struggling to counter the surge in sales of endangered species on the internet.
Paul Wilkinson, of The Wildlife Trusts, said: "It is important that we achieve much greater clarity and rigour in our approach to wildlife crime. The current uncertainty around what constitutes a wildlife crime is surely unacceptable. This grey area helps those who commit wildlife crimes and puts the enforcement agencies, and wildlife itself, at a disadvantage."
