August 2024
Investigations
- The WCP has supported several UK Police services this month with advice, for investigations into the disturbance of bats whilst roosting, the obstruction of access for bats, and the destruction of roosts. The investigating officers are making good progress on these cases.
- Currently the Project has oversight on fifty nine police incidents for 2024. Below is an example of a recent case.
Three persons including a company director pleaded guilty and were sentenced in criminal court in August for Damage to a breeding site / resting place of a wild animal of a European protected species (bats). The defendants have each been given a Conditional Discharge for 12 months. This is a criminal record and it is designed to serve as a a preventative measures against re-offending. If convicted of committing any other offence during the time of the Conditional Discharge then in addition to the sentence for that offence the defendant can be re-sentenced for the offence from this case. Each defendant must also pay court costs.
The motivation to commit such offences remains the same, to save money and or time. Such an outcome may act as a deterrent for the defendants in this case but for larger companies with legal and financial resources, it is no deterrent at all.
Whilst there are national sentencing guidelines for main stream offences such as theft, there are no national guidelines for wildlife crime offences. This means those on the front end of the Criminal Justice System such as the CPS, Magistrates and Judges are ill equipped to make consistent judgements on what is a suitable penalty against a defendant for such offending, as referenced in the July 2024 comments, this case is such an example.
International Fund for Animal Welfare Report on Wildlife Crime
- The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) commissioned a report called ‘System set to fail – prosecuting wildlife crime’ from criminologists at Nottingham Trent University (now at Anglia Ruskin University) and the University of Gloucestershire. It extensively documents first-hand accounts of those working on the front line of wildlife crime, providing a bleak overview of why so many cases do not result in prosecution. This report is an accurate reflection on the current state of play in the UK on wildlife crime enforcement. However BCT and others are working hard to address the known findings, one example of which you will find below.
- The WCP and Wildlife & Countryside Link had a meeting with the National Police Chiefs Council portfolio lead on Wildlife Crime Deputy Chief Constable Harrison on 7th August 2024. The project highlighted the need for a information sharing process to be established between front line police officers and NGO's such as BCT to improve partnership working and better offence disposal outcomes. The DCC requested a report from the WCP on the matter. The report will include potential solutions to this perennial and thorny issue.
