While the role of wildlife crime officer is recognized as an integral part of the policing response to wildlife crime, participants identified issues with training and the extent to which these officers are able to dedicate themselves to this enforcement given other demands.ĭr. Participants raised concerns about the lack of available expertise in some areas, particularly when prosecutors with expert knowledge and experienced wildlife crime officers move to other roles with no guarantee that the specialist resource will be retained. Cuts in policing budgets due to austerity measures are also impacting on the effectiveness of wildlife policing. The research also identifies wildlife crime as an under-resourced area that is heavily reliant on the dedication of individual officers and support from NGOs, such as the RSPB, RSPCA, and the League Against Cruel Sports. This contributes to a lack of clear data on the level of wildlife crimes, as recording is inconsistent and varies by location, making it difficult to identify where priorities should lie. This was seen as an issue by all of the enforcement officers who completed questionnaires, as it means the lesser status in legislation impacts on the priority afforded to wildlife crime and its recording. In the UK, notifiable offenses are serious crimes that are reported to the Home Office by the Police for statistical purposes, and only a small amount of serious wildlife crimes are notifiable. It is suggested that this lack of a human victim leads to under reporting and a perception of less threat, harm, and risk. Wildlife crimes were often seen as being victimless and therefore considered lesser offenses. This is despite 100% of the wildlife crime officers questioned stating that wildlife offending was linked to other forms of serious crime, and 89% saying that wildlife crime should be given the same priority as more traditional types of crime. In addition, the team analyzed literature on wildlife crime and wildlife law in the UK.įindings showed that wildlife crime is not currently considered a core policing issue and is not given the same priority as 'mainstream' crimes. They also conducted interviews with a range of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and academics with expertise in wildlife crime and wildlife law. Researchers from NTU and the University of Gloucester carried out surveys with police forces and Police and Crime Commissioners in both 20. Interpol and the United Nations Environment Program estimate that natural resources worth as much as USD 91 billion to USD 258 billion annually are being stolen by criminals. Wildlife crime-which increased by an estimated 30% between 20-is broadly defined as the illegal exploitation of wildlife species, including poaching, such as illegal hunting, fishing, killing, or capturing abuse and/or trafficking of wild animal species. It forms the basis of a major new Make Wildlife Matter report and campaign from IFAW, which aims to galvanize the public, politicians, and organizations to press the government to better protect precious wildlife. The study, commissioned by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), examines the current state of wildlife crime in the UK and its enforcement.
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