Wildlife crime prevalent, says specialist officer

Law Society of Scotland conference to hear of problems enforcing nature protection laws

News, 22 April 2005

Some gamekeepers are employing increasingly desparate measures to keep their estates afloat, according to Scotland's first full-time wildlife crime police officer.

PC James McGovern will tell the Law Society of Scotland's annual conference today that financial pressure has been a key factor in the growth of illegal activity on country estates.

Key areas of concern are poaching and the poisoning birds of prey to protect game birds for sports.

PC McGovern said: "It's not common but it is easy to spot if there is illegal activity going on compared with those estates where everything is above board. Where birds of prey are being poisoned to protect game birds, it's not only the wild birds that are at risk but, as the poison is left lying around, can also mean pet dogs or even children are at potential risk."

The officer, who will address the rural property section of the "Property Matters" conference at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, says that increased investigations into wildlife crime have revealed that the problem of wildlife crime across the country in both urban and rural locations is more extensive than previously thought.

He said: "As soon as you scratch the surface of something like this you discover just how much is actually going on. It varies from location to location. There are marked trends in certain areas, such as poaching or wild bird poisoning and trapping in rural areas, whereas hare coursing or breeding fighting dogs are traditionally urban issues.

"Retail of illegal goods is another problem we have encountered in towns. For example we discovered that a reputable jeweller's in Edinburgh was selling freshwater pearls which had been supplied locally. The pearls are protected yet they were completely unaware that it was illegal to sell them."

PC McGovern added: "Ultimately everyone loses if this kind of crime is allowed to continue unchecked as we, and future generations of Scots, are losing our natural heritage."