UK wildlife is under threat. It is under threat from the criminals that try to exploit it. But shockingly it’s also under threat from our own Government.
The UK Government’s funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) comes to an end in March 2016. Charities including World Animal Protection have been pushing both Defra and the Home Office – the principle funders – for a clear answer as to whether they intend to renew their funding beyond this date.
But despite repeated questioning and requests for clarity, they have so far refused to do so.
But hang on a minute, you may say: what about all the work we’ve seen William Hague doing on Illegal Wildlife Trade? What about the £13 million that the UK Government has pledged to give to projects tackling this global problem? There’s been more coverage and more policy-speak on wildlife crime than ever before: so should we really be complaining?
Yes, we should. Because although this work is laudable and worthwhile, our own precious UK wildlife is being ignored.
In the
UK’s Commitment to Actionthat was issued in 2014, the majority of the resources that were promised focussed on international work such as funding a post at the International Consortium for Combatting Wildlife Crime (ICCWC) and funding for projects in developing countries totalling £10 million. In contrast, the domestic commitments focussed on bodies and programmes that already existed, and included just two years’ funding for the NWCU until March 2016.
There is clearly a degree of awareness about wildlife crime happening here. And for a long time now, the Government has depended on the NWCU to provide a centralised intelligence and investigations unit to deal with the complex array of crimes that it involves. But it seems now that suddenly this might not be so important to the Government, despite its leadership abroad on this issue. Which begs the simple question: why can’t the UK’s own Unit be given the security it needs to get on with its work?
I recently spoke to an officer from a force in East Anglia who told me how overwhelmed they are with reports of hare coursing at the moment. This cruel sport – which involves racing packs of dogs to chase and rip hares apart - has evolved in recent years into a highly lucrative, organised criminal activity. It’s been reported that coursers can make up to £30,000 in just three months of bets. For some unknown reason, reports this season have spiked - but officers are not able to address the problem because their superiors won’t dedicate adequate resources to wildlife crime policing.
This has recently led to public complaints. As a country we love our local wildlife and strongly believe it should be protected from crime and cruelty.
It’s no secret that police forces are increasingly being squeezed and they have to prioritise where they focus their attention – and rightly so. But that is why the NWCU is so important. Its specialist officers can step in and provide support when it’s needed. And they are known for their commitment to seeing cases through from beginning to end:
they are absolutely determined to bring these criminals to justice.
It seems like a no-brainer really. The unit costs £427,000 a year to run – with Defra and the Home Office previously giving £136,000 each towards this each year. This has allowed the Unit to be fundamental in providing the intelligence and warrants leading to the seizure of more than 400 items in violation of CITES since April 2016.
The value of the service that the NWCU provides heavily outweighs the financial cost to the UK Government; they are seriously getting their money’s worth. And yet the hard-working staff of the NWCU are now approaching the Christmas break wondering whether they’ll have a job in three months’ time.
Enough is enough. Wildlife crime is crime, and the UK public want our wildlife protected from it. If the UK Government really is committed to action on wildlife crime, now’s the time to show it – but this time, within our own borders.
Join World Animal Protection’s campaign to #SaveTheNWCU by emailing your MP.