SAA Received the following information from Huntwatch:

From 1 April 2005 all UK police forces will record wildlife crime incidents, as
part of a one-year pilot scheme. Please see below for an article.

We are emailing you now to stress one very important point. It has been made
quite clear to us that this is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the
extent of wildlife crime in the UK.
Please will you therefore report ALL wildlife incidents to the police and
REQUEST AN INCIDENT NUMBER.

If incidents fail to be reported to the police, forces can use the lack of
reports to justify failing to commit resources. Not all forces will start the
scheme on the 1st of April, but all are committed to introducing it over the
next year. Please can you therefore let us know the status of your force when
you find out.


ARTICLE:

Police to record wildlife crime

A major new initiative means that all UK police forces will now
record wildlife crime incidents. This development is a major
achievement for the NFBG, which has long campaigned for wildlife crime to be
recorded.

Historically, the police have not been required to keep statistics on wildlife
crime incidents and, while some have kept informal
records, the majority have not. A lack of reliable information on the extent of
the problem in specific areas has deterred police forces from allocating
resources to addressing the issue.

The wildlife crime-recording scheme was launched on 1 April
2005, largely due to the work of Richard Brunstrom, Chief
Constable of North Wales Police.

For an initial 12-month period, all police forces in the UK will
record incidents under agreed standards. Not all forces will start the scheme
on 1 April, but all are committed to doing so within an agreed time.

The NFBG was consulted on how crimes against badgers and
their setts will be recorded. Incidents will include killing badgers, damage to
setts and cruelty. The police will be required to record all reports received,
even if it is subsequently found that no offences have been committed or the
offenders are not known. In the future, statistics will help demonstrate not
only the extent of reporting in police force areas, but will also allow
examination of how incidents are dealt with. The statistics can be requested
under the Freedom of Information Act.

Badger groups can play a significant role in reporting offences. All badger
incidents should be reported to the police and an incident number requested on
every occasion. If incidents fail to be reported, it is likely that many forces
will use a lack of reports to justify failing to commit
resources.

ENDS

This information was taken from a National Federation of Badgers Group, so
thank you to them.


Hunt Watch
PO Box 3089
Norwich
Norfolk
NR3 2YP

Tel: 07952 550 054

www.hunwatch.info

It's not the police we've got to watch, it's the antis with their
video cameras." - Graham Bridgeman the Chairman of Eggesford Hunt.

--
!UNTIL ALL ARE FREE!
Shropshire Animal Action

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