Raf Sanchez

Originally published on the splash in The Journal

Hundreds of offences against animals have made the North East the wildlife crime capital of the country.

Figures obtained by The Journal show that more than one in eight offences against animals in the UK took place in the Northumbria Police area.

Over a 12-month period there were 737 offences in the Northumbria Police area, including badger baiting, illegal hunting, poaching, bat persecution and hare coursing.

Wildlife officers said the number of crimes against animals in the area had risen because of the recession.

PC Andy Swinburne, wildlife crime officer for Northumberland area command, said: “I think in terms of rural and wildlife crime there has been an increase since the credit crunch.

“We are seeing a large increase in the poaching of deer which can be shot or killed by use of ‘lamping’ or dogs.”

PC Swinburne said that lamping – where a bright light is shone into the face of an animal causing it to freeze and making it easy to kill – was the most common method used by poachers.

Meat is either stripped from the carcase at the scene or it is hidden and retrieved later on. The meat of a large male dear can be worth up to £100.

PC Swinburne said: “These are commodities which are easy to sell on to outlets that are willing to take the risk of buying them.”

The figures on wildlife crime between August 2008 and July this year show 27 cases of badger persecution, eight cases of bird eggs being stolen, three poisoning incidents and 135 cases of poaching, 24 of them involving the poaching of deer.

The North East had the most illegal wildlife shootings with 69, although police said that many were carried out by youths in urban areas, often with air weapons, and that it was uncommon for poachers to carry firearms.

There were also more than 400 unclassified wildlife offences, which included a number where animal carcases are found at roadsides and police suspect they have been illegally killed.

In June, two 17-year-old boys were convicted of criminal damage after killing five swans at Ryton Willows nature reserve in Gateshead.

That case followed a Northumbria Police operation in different areas of Northumberland in which three men were arrested by a team investigating badger baiting and cock fighting. And last November saw two men from Ashington, Northumberland, banned from keeping dogs for three years after being caught badger baiting.

Northumbria Police is now making increasing use of forensic evidence to solve wildlife crimes.

Blood taken from crime scenes or from suspects’ clothing can be compared to a national database, allowing police to identify the type of animal that the blood belongs to. The force currently employs seven wildlife crime officers, one for each area command except for rural Northumberland, which has two.

PC Swinburne said: “Wildlife crime remains a very serious issue in the North East and one that Northumbria Police are committed to fighting against.”

The figures

Badger persecution: 27
Bat persecution: 2
Fox hunting: 2
Habitat destruction: 22
Hare coursing: 2
Nest destruction: 6
Other: 429
Poaching deer:  24
Poaching fish: 6
Poaching other: 105
Poisoning: 3
Raptor persecution: 2
Shooting: 69
Traps/snares: 29
Wild bird egg/chick theft: 8
Wild birds caught: 1