2025-2028 NPCC Wildlife & Rural Crime Strategy
Yellow-legged Asian Hornet Week 1st - 7th September 2025
Operation EASTER launches for the 28th year
Bat Conservation Trust launch Halloween video to celebrate bats 🦇
Operation Badger re-launch for National Badger Day!
Craig Fellowes awarded MBE for services to wildlife
Operation EASTER ~ 27 years of stopping egg thieves
Man who abseiled down cliff to take peregrine falcon eggs jailed
Newport company fined for the demolition of Bat Roost
Cheshire man sentenced after admitting animal cruelty offences
2,114 seizures of endangered animals and timber in major international law enforcement operation
Natural England prosecutes developer for breaching Bat Mitigation Licence
Vale of Glamorgan man prosecuted for destroying valuable wildlife habitat
Wildlife detectives take part in new Forensics Training programme
PSNI investigate death of two white-tailed eagles
PSNI launch Operation SUBRISION to deter and detect rural and wildlife crime
Lewisham man convicted for illegally exporting ivory
Operation EASTER launched for 2023 - stopping egg thieves and egg collectors
Monmouthshire company fined for damaging an important Great Crested Newt habitat
05 Apr 2016
Posted by NWCU4 
Three men have been jailed after admitting a charge of badger baiting – despite no badger carcass being found. Brothers Kyle and Daniel Green, along with their accomplice Martin Skinner, were stopped by police in a 4×4 while driving through Darley Dale. In the rear of the vehicle were two badly injured dogs, which needed […]
Read more → 01 Apr 2016
Posted by NWCU4 
Wildlife crime officers from South Yorkshire Police and the National Wildlife Crime Unit investigating the illegal trade in endangered species have seized around 100x endangered species of butterflies from a house in the Barnsley area. Officers had identified man who was trading illegally on the internet and as a result they executed a search warrant […]
Read more → 24 Mar 2016
Posted by NWCU4 
A Tayside man caught hare coursing has been jailed for four months for taking part in the illegal bloodsport. Mark Reid, 45, Teviotdale Avenue, Dundee, was also banned from owning a dog for six years when sentenced at Perth Sheriff Court on Wednesday. Sheriff Lindsay Foulis heard that Reid, who was found guilty after a […]
Read more → 21 Mar 2016
Posted by NWCU4
On Monday 29th February 2016, fourteen men linked to an organised crime gang were convicted of plotting to steal rhino horn and Chinese artefacts worth up to £57m in a series of museum and auction house raids. Click here to read the full article. When rhino horn thefts first began to be reported in 2012, […]
Read more → 19 Mar 2016
Posted by NWCU4 
20 bird of prey crimes were recorded in 2015 including six poisoning incidents, according to the latest bird of prey crime maps published today. The maps by the Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime (PAW) Scotland show a slight increase from 2014 which saw 18 bird of prey crimes recorded. The birds involved in these […]
Read more → 08 Mar 2016
Posted by NWCU4 
Yesterday (07/03/2016), at Derby Crown Court, His Honour Judge John Burgess made the first ever Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) order for offences relating the destruction of a bat roost. A company, Isar Enterprises Ltd, was fined £3000 and ordered to pay £2000 costs. In addition, Judge Burgess made a Proceed of Crime Act order […]
Read more → 02 Mar 2016
Posted by NWCU4
The Government has confirmed that it will fund the UK National Wildlife Crime Unit for at least the next four years. Funding for the unit was due to expire at the end of March 2016 and it appeared to facing a very uncertain future. However, Defra and the Home Office have now both confirmed that they […]
Read more → 01 Mar 2016
Posted by NWCU1 
Following a 6 day trial at Reading Crown Court the jury returned a guilty verdict on 4 offences relating to the sale and advertising for sale, via eBay, of antlers from CITES protected species namely Marsh Deer and Pampas Deer. Investigations by Thames Valley Police assisted by the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) identified the […]
Read more → 29 Feb 2016
Posted by NWCU4 
On 20 December 2013, at its 68th session, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) decided to proclaim 3 March, the day of signature of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), as UN World Wildlife Day to celebrate and raise awareness of the world’s wild animals and plants. […]
Read more → 12 Feb 2016
Posted by NWCU4 
A man who killed two badgers in a “barbaric” attack using two dogs has been sent to prison. Paul Tomlinson, 29, from Nottingham, filmed the attacks and discussed it on social media, in June 2014. Tomlinson, of Melford Road, was jailed for 20 weeks and banned from keeping dogs for three years, at Nottingham Magistrates’ […]
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